Health

The mission of the Public Health Association of South Africa is to build an association of those involved in health and health-related activities to promote greater equity in health in South Africa. PHASA advocates equitable access to the basic conditions necessary to achieve health for all South African as well as equitable access to effective health care. PHASA will work with other public health associations and related organisations and advocate on national and international issues that impact on the conditions for a healthy society.

Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 80 countries. In countries where health structures are insufficient or even non-existant, MSF collaborates with authorities such as the Ministry of Health to provide assistance. MSF works in rehabilitation of hospitals and dispensaries, vaccination programmes and water and sanitation projects. MSF also works in remote health care centres, slum areas and provides training of local personnel.

At the World Health Assembly in May 2003, the Peoples Health Movement, together with GEGA and Medact discussed the need for civil society to produce its own alternative World Health Report. It was felt that the WHO reports were inadequate that there was no report that monitored the performance of global health institutions and, that the dominant neo-liberal discourse in public health policy also needed to be challenged by a more people-centred approach that highlights social justice.

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) is the global federation of national organisations of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists dedicated to improving the access to and value of appropriate medicine use, and contributing to changes in science, practice and health policies worldwide.

This open access, online journal publishes papers on all aspects of planning, producing and managing human resources for health - all those who provide health services worldwide. As such, it conveys the quantitative and qualitative products of research and analysis, and seeks to address policy issues and foster policy debate.

The biohealthmatics.com site is brought to you by HealthMatics LTD, a health informatics consulting company based in the United Kingdom. An online directory provides links to biomedical informatics resources and the knowledge center provides an introduction to those who have little or no knowledge about biomedical informatics.

The Women’s Health Research Unit (WHRU) was established in the Faculty of Health Sciences at UCT in 1996. The unit is located in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine. The aim of the WHRU is to improve women's health through facilitation, conduction and co-ordination of research, networking, teaching and training. This will be achieved by providing information that will influence policy, influence resource allocation, improve health services and highlight practices that are discriminating towards women.

HISP vision is to support the development of an excellent and sustainable health information system that enables all health care workers to use their own information to improve the coverage and quality of health services within our communities.

Many people believe that modern medicine is continuing to significantly improve global health. Polio has been nearly eradicated, smallpox eliminated, and it will only be a matter of time before cures for all other diseases are found. However, this confidence is misplaced and based more on history than reality. Today, one- third of the world’s population lacks access to essential medicines; in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia this figure rises to one-half.

The primary object of the Council is to assist in the promotion of the health of the population of South Africa.