Dr.Ravi Narayan spoke at the 'Future of Primary Health Care'  symposium held in London to discuss the challenges of health care issues in the 21st Century. “The Future of Primary Health Care” was attended by public health experts around the Globe to assess the best options for improving primary health care in the future. Experts discussed about the challenges and effective soultions to such challenges. Peter Goodwin attended the meetings and interacted with some of the key speakers.

You can listen to the interviews of the key speakers of the conference at lshtm.ac.uk home page or at www.audiomedica.com

The Initerviewees Include
Alialbrahim Zai
Egbert Sondorp
Gill Walt
Lucy Gilson
Ravi Narayan
Richard Horton
Vikram Patel
Willem Van De Put

'The Bamako 2008 Global Ministerial Forum (www.bamako2008.org) provided widespread acceptance to the shift in paradigm from health research which is dominated by medical and epidemiological research to research for health, development and equity. This shift has been in the making from the Alma Ata Conference in 1978 but more specifically in research circles from a meeting in 1990. The shift implies more inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research and a transformation in the research architecture dominated by medical research councils. While recognising the important contributions of advances in medicine, epidemiology and science, a more inclusive approach is advocated with contributions from different knowledge systems. However equally importantly there is a need for greater involvement of civil society in the entire research process.
 
Prior to the Bamako Forum from 17th-19th November 2008 a series of preparatory meetings took place at which the role of civil society in research was raised. COHRED then took this further and with DBL, Denmark and CIAM, the Gambia organised a workshop in Copenhagen in October 2008. The Call for Action emerged at this workshop. A well attended session on this theme was held at the Bamako Forum and printed copies were made available. The Call for Action was also presented to a full house of 1100 participants during the final plenary. 

Dr.Thelma Narayan, Public Health Consultant of CHC and the new co-ordinator for the Centre for Public Health and Equity (CPHE)of SOCHARA Bangalore was an active participant and resource person of these initiatives. CPHE is keen to take this call for action forward.  We recognise that research for health is an integral part of health systems and research is essential to track progress in the achievement of health equity goals. It also provides valuable understanding about pathways through which inequalities in access to health determinants operate and how they may be redressed. Participation of communities and of civil society organisations in research for health, development and equity is essential. We look forward to an active, creative and inclusive response to the call for Action.

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The Centre for Health and Equity (CPHE) is an evolving idea to consolidate and take forward the work of CHC in community health and public policy action, including support to the growing network of public health education initiatives in the country.

SOCHARA has made CPHE the silver jubilee initiative which will function autonomously from April 2008. Since August 2006, the PHM Global Secretariat (hosted by CHC from January 2003 till July 2006) and the health policy action unit of CHC converged into a small policy, education and advocacy unit, the CPHE. In lieu of new developments in the country where over 20 new public health institutes and or public health courses have emerged since 2006, CPHE plans to evolve as an alternative learning centre. Simultaneously CPHE will continue to work with the civil society - community health training and policy network to evolve a more definitive alternative.CPHE undertook activities classified into four priority areas:

A. Strengthening Primary Health Care and Health Equity Nationally and Globally
B. Capacity Building for the New Public Health
C. Global Health Policy and Health Strategy including People’s Health Movement
D. Alternative Learning Centre Initiatives