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Global Information Network, now in its 20th year, hosts a regular series of public events on African issues; edits, writes and distributes news, and offers internships. Volunteers are especially welcome here at its W. 29th St. headquarters!

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Health care for Africa

NEW BILL TO FUND AFRICAN HEALTH CARE WORKERS SEEKS SPONSORS

Much-needed funds to train new doctors and nurses in Africa and give them incentives to stay in their home countries would be authorized under a new piece of legislation now before the House of Representatives.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 in October. The bill, backed by the nonprofit Physicians for Human Rights, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the NY-based Health GAP, would authorize spending of $600 million over three years.

A shortage of skilled doctors and nurses has crippled health care in many African countries. In Uganda, hospitals have shut down for lack of a single health worker to care for patients, and in some areas a single doctor or nurse may be on call 24 hours a day and seven days per week to care for hundreds of extremely ill patients every week.

In Ethiopia, there are only 2,000 doctors for 75 million people.

The bill would provide $150 million in FY 2008, $200 million in FY 2009, and $250 million in FY 2010 to pay for safer working conditions, training and recruitment of health workers (especially in underserved rural areas) and better health systems management.

More information about the bill can be found at: http://actnow-phr.org

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THIS MONTH'S FEATURED BOOKS




SELF DETERMINATION AND
NATIONAL UNITY
A Challenge for Africa
Edited by Francis M. Deng

Most African countries suffer from crises of national identity that are rooted in the formation of pluralistic states, characterized by gross inequities among the component groups. Oftentimes, the state gets captured by dominant groups that then define the national identity framework on their terms to give themselves the preeminent status as the favored citizens who enjoy all the rights and dignity of citizenship.
>website

NEW SUDAN IN THE MAKING?
Essays on a Nation in Painful Search of Itself
Edited by Francis M. Deng

“New Sudan” is a concept for radically reforming Sudan’s governance system by addressing the national identity crisis that has been responsible for the wars, the instability and the failure of the national building project that have afflicted the country since independence. The gist of the crisis is that the dominant Arab group, which is in fact an African Arab hybrid and a minority, perceives the country in its image as an Arab-Islamic nation. This inevitably discriminates against the non-Arab and non-Moslem
>website