Dear HIFA colleagues,
We have received permission from WHO to post our video statement on the HIFA YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVniAi6JYLM
Please do share this with your contacts and networks!
Our thanks again to HIFA Steering Group member Dr Meena Nathan Cherian for representing HIFA and delivering our statement at agenda item 13.3: Universal Health Coverage.
Here again is the wording of the statement, which will be included in the official record:
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Access to reliable healthcare information is fundamental to achieving universal health coverage. Every person and every health worker needs access to relevant and reliable healthcare information to protect their own health and the health of others.
In 2023 and 2024, we undertook a global consultation through the Healthcare Information For All global health network. We gathered feedback from 2,400 health professionals, policymakers, librarians, publishers, researchers, and patient representatives.
The respondents overwhelmingly called on WHO to explicitly champion the goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. While universal access to reliable healthcare information is implicit in the WHO's Constitution, it is not recognised in WHO policy. We urge WHO to explicitly champion this goal and convene stakeholders to develop a global strategy for its realisation. We and our partners stand ready to support.
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Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org