HIFA Country Representatives of the Year 2012 : Soumyadeep Bhaumik

The HIFA Steering Group is delighted to announce the winners of the HIFA Country Representative of the Year Award 2012. We would like to award the title jointly to four people:

  • Tara Ballav Adhikari (Nepal)
  • Soumyadeep Bhaumik (India)
  • Paola de Castro (Italy)
  • Numan Majeed (Pakistan).

Continue reading “HIFA Country Representatives of the Year 2012 : Soumyadeep Bhaumik”

Healthcare Information : The Need To Recognise Its Importance In Public Health

“We live in a world with infinite possibilities. Hearts are transplanted, DNA is decoded, and new medical discoveries are made every day. Yet we continue to be stymied by how best to reach those in resource-poor settings with the most basic care and medicines that we take for granted” –Bill Frist & Richard Sezibera. The Lancet, 2009;374:1485-1486

International agencies, national governments and various stakeholders from across the world in a bid to break this paradox, where in spite of all the progress being made by mankind humanity is at stake, had in the past tried various models . Almost everything has been tried – from “free medicines” to “compulsory licensing” , from primary health care centres in the remotest district to sophisticated state of the art tertiary care centres, from basic sanitation and drinking water to massive eradication drives but the one aspect that has largely being ignored is understanding and meeting the healthcare information needs of the people.Continue reading “Healthcare Information : The Need To Recognise Its Importance In Public Health”

People are Dying Due to Lack of Knowledge :HIFA 2015

HIFA 2015 ,UK the global NGO with the tagline “Help Create a World where people are no longer dying for the lack of knowledge ” has launched a new video which highlights on the global fact that  PEOPLE ARE DYING FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE”

Transcript of the Video

Over the next 2 minutes while you are watching this video another 20 children will die simply because they are not receiving basic life-saving -interventions. Interventions such as antibiotics for childhood pneumonia-Oral rehydration solution for diarrhoeal disease.

Tragically these interventions are often locally available, but are simply not provided.The main underlying problem is lack of basic healthcare knowledge.

Lack of healthcare knowledge leads to delays in seeking health care. It leads to errors in diagnosis and it leads to ineffective or even harmful treatments.People are dying for lack of knowledge.

This is why we started the global initiative Healthcare Information For All by 2015. HIFA2015 brings together more than 5,000 providers and users of healthcare information – health professionals, publishers, librarians, researchers, policymakers – in almost every country.
Ranging from senior executives at the World Health Organization to village health workers in rural Africa.
Together we are committed to the HIFA2015 goal: By 2015, every person worldwide will have access to an informed healthcare
provider. [*see note below]

We are supported by more than 150 organisations worldwide including the British Medical Association and the World
Health Organization.We call on governments and funding agencies to commit publicly to Healthcare Information For All by 2015.

Every person has a right to health. Every person has a right to an informed healthcare provider.
We call on you to join us. Please visit www.hifa2015.org  and click on Join. Thank you for your support.

[*The HIFA2015 definition of healthcare provider includes mothers, families and citizens, who are indeed responsible for the majority of health care decisions and actions, especially in low-income countries]

Conflict of Interest : Dr. Soumyadeep B is the Country Representative for India, HIFA 2015.