Dear HIFA colleagues,
On 19 August I commented on an important paper by the leaders of JBI, Cochrane, and Campbell: https://journals.lww.com/jbisrir/fulltext/2024/06000/unlocking_the_power...
This paper is timely as we approach the Global Evidence Summit in Prague.
I wrote: 'Strengthening the global evidence ecosystem is indeed the challenge of our time. HIFA has been advocating for this since 2006 and HIFA's remit is specifically to strengthen communication, understanding and advocacy across the ecosystem (a remit that is far beyond our capacity). Greater strategic collaboration between JBI, Cochrane, and Campbell is welcome. But many of us would argue that collaboration needs to be far wider if we are to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information. The global evidence ecosystem includes all stakeholders: those who generate evidence, publish evidence, synthesise evidence, package evidence, find evidence, and apply evidence. We need to support collaboration and coordination across all these groups, towards our common goal of a world where every person has access to the reliable information they need to protect their own health and the health of others.'
The central message of our recent global consultation [ https://www.hifa.org/news/press-release-global-health-advocates-call-wor...
] is for WHO to explicitly champion universal access to reliable healthcare information. In fact, WHO is now very close to doing this.
First, the WHO website says it is firmly committed to the principles set out in the preamble to its 1948 Constitution, citing ‘The extension to all peoples of the benefits of medical, psychological and related knowledge is essential to the fullest attainment of health’.
Second, WHO’s 13th Programme of Work states: “WHO’s quintessential function is to ensure access to authoritative and strategic information on matters that affect peoples’ health.”
Third, WHO is of course a global leader as a health information provider, and leads and supports a wide range of specific health information initiatives. But as we have seen, *universal access cannot be achieved by WHO alone, it needs a functional global evidence system*.
And fourth, WHO already champions universal health coverage and last year its Deputy Director-General wrote that ‘Universal access to health information is essential to achieving universal health coverage and the other health-related targets of the sustainable development goals.’ WHO has not yet explicitly championed universal access to reliable healthcare information.
When WHO commits explicitly to universal access to reliable healthcare information, the next logical step would be to convene stakeholders to develop a global strategy to accelerate progress, as recommended by the respondents in our consultation. Commitment and action by WHO would be a game-changer. WHO is uniquely positioned to lead. HIFA and partners stand ready to support.
I look forward to your comments and suggestions on next steps.
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
