The Global Health 8 and Transparency in Seattle
Last week in Seattle, the group known as the “Health 8″ — so named in reference to constituting the “G8″ of global health finance — met among a flurry of global health conferences and talks. Sandi Doughton from the Seattle Times reports on who the Health 8 are, and whether the rest of us should care: Seattle Times article on Health 8.
Read health journalist Christine Gorman’s take on the Health 8 at the Global Health Report Blog (follow the “Related Post” link for a more detailed description of the group and what it is supposed to do).
Does the Health 8 represent the potential of high-level coordination for crafting better wide-reaching strategies? Is it fair for some philanthropic organizations to get a seat at high-level tables while others don’t even know that the table is being set? Where is there room for the voices of the people who are supposed to be the ultimate beneficiaries of global health funding? Are evidence-based models being used? What level of transparency is appropriate in such discussions? Where do we draw the line between the institutionalized anarchy of uncoordinated NGO function on one hand, and secret meetings at which the fate of billions is quite literally decided on the other? These are some questions in the air.
About The Author
Hana Akselrod
Hana Akselrod is an MD/MPH student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Global Pulse, and is involved in advocacy on banning physician participation in torture through AMSA and PHR. Hana's research experiences to date have included MDR-TB in Russia, immigrant health in the US, environmental determinants of health in the urban environment, violence and injury prevention in Central America, and the uses of art in health and medical education. She believes global health ought to be approached both seriously and creatively.
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