The Geneva Health Forum: towards global access to health
This Forum brings together all actors involved in access to health – including international, national and local organizations; government agencies; the private sector; hospitals; universities; civil society; and most importantly those who need care.
Health systems cannot be addressed without a critical look at the current crisis of the global health workforce. The Forum will focus on key initiatives and best practices that address issues such as motivation, working environment, migration, and gaps in competencies. The role that universities, hospitals, and training institutions can play in this domain will be reviewed in light of innovative partnerships and programmes.
Select a key theme from the left hand side of this page for information on plenary and parallel sessions, background papers and recommended readings
Strengthening Health Systems and the Global Health Workforce
The Forum will place special emphasis on the strengthening and integration of health systems and the importance of the global health workforce. The year 2008, the 30th anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration, offers a special occasion to revisit the primary health care model within the current health services context, marked by the increasing burden of chronic diseases and HIV/AIDS, the potential of new drugs and technologies, and the growing role of the private sector and global health initiatives.Health systems cannot be addressed without a critical look at the current crisis of the global health workforce. The Forum will focus on key initiatives and best practices that address issues such as motivation, working environment, migration, and gaps in competencies. The role that universities, hospitals, and training institutions can play in this domain will be reviewed in light of innovative partnerships and programmes.
Key messages
- Access to health is a global issue: local initiatives can provide models for global tools.
- All actors have a role to play in strengthening health systems. It is necessary to empower these actors within their respective fields.
- Caregivers and medical professionals are key actors who form the bridge between policy and practice in order to decrease fragmentation and inefficiency of healthcare.
- Information technology is bringing about a generation of self-informed patients, who contribute to changing health systems, and their impact on health systems must be assessed, followed by appropriate changes.
- In the current context of globalization and extreme mobility, training of health workers is more complex than ever and we have to stop training for the past.
