Dear CHIFA and HIFA colleagues,
On HIFA we are having a discussion about the Effect of US government action on health information https://www.hifa.org/rss-feeds/17
The Child Health Task Force 'is a [US-based] network of global and country-based organizations and individuals working to design and implement child health programs that take a life-course approach. Created in 2017, the Task Force aims to generate and share evidence on how to implement equitable, comprehensive, and integrated programs that will translate into better outcomes for children'. It is probably the single most important global child health community, and works in solidarity with CHIFA to promote communication, understanding and advocacy for evidence-informed health care for all children worldwide. https://www.childhealthtaskforce.org/ www.chifa.org
Their work has been severely disrupted by recent political action. I received an email circular from them yesterday:
'While the CHTF is a global partner network, the secretariat is entirely USAID-funded. Therefore, due to the 90-day stop work order, the secretariat cannot support all its functions, including the publication of newsletters, the journal digest, and the coordination of webinars. The Steering Committee met on February 5th and reconfirmed their commitment to supporting the CHTF membership through the Secretariat and its ten subgroups. The Steering Committee recognized
• the key role the Task Force has in convening nearly 10,000 (70% from LMIC) child health stakeholders from across the globe, serving as the primary platform for joint learning and knowledge exchange and as a repository of tools and resources for programming for child health and wellbeing
• the impact of the current situation on many Task Force members, the Secretariat, and a significant number of subgroup co-chairs and members...'
CHIFA 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