Dear HIFA supporters,
On behalf of HIFA I wish you a peaceful holiday season and a happy new year, and thank you for your engagement. Below I reflect briefly on the past year and invite you to support us to achieve even more in the coming year.
Looking back on 2023, we have been hugely encouraged by the success of our Global Survey on Universal Access to Reliable Healthcare Information. In particular, we thank many organisations for their tremendous in-kind support: IFLA/E4GDH, JBI, Costello Medical, Digital Medic, Lancet, BMJ, among others, as well as financial support from Oxford Pharmagenesis, Elsevier Foundation, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and others. The consultation continues here on HIFA into the new year and will contribute to the report we are compiling for the World Health Organization to inform next steps.
One of the most stunning results of our ongoing global survey is the answer to ‘Question 16: What more can WHO do to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information?’ The overwhelming response is
“SUPPORT STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO RELIABLE HEALTHCARE INFORMATION”.
Similarly, in relation to ‘Question 17: What more can HIFA do to accelerate progress’, the overwhelming response is
“SUPPORT STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO RELIABLE HEALTHCARE INFORMATION”.
HIFA (with 1.4 staff and a shoestring budget) is far too small to convene stakeholders alone. By contrast, WHO has the capacity, mandate and constitutional responsibility to take the lead, and HIFA will provide whatever support we can. Together we can make it happen.
To meet this challenge HIFA itself needs to evolve and the HIFA Steering Group is meeting on 22 January to take this forward.
In 2024 I propose a greater emphasis on engagement and advocacy with our 20,000+ members and our 400+ supporting organisations. A few months ago we hosted a webinar to launch the consultation and I would like to see regular webinars on priority healthcare information issues to complement our forum discussions. These could perhaps be co-hosted with our supporting organisations? We could also engage members and supporting organisations more in strategic planning and resource mobilization? I invite your comments and suggestions.
Meanwhile we shall continue to implement our ambitious Collaboration Plan with WHO and, in particular, we shall encourage WHO to champion universal access to reliable healthcare information as a global health priority.
All of the above can only be achieved with *your* support. Despite our operational success, HIFA currently has financial challenges, like many non-profits. As we move towards 2024 I want to invite you to support us with a small donation. Monthly donations are especially valuable. Please donate here: https://hifa.online-donation.co.uk/general/~my-donation
If you have any questions or would like more information on how you can support HIFA, please contact me: neil@hifa.org
Together we can ensure that every person, every health worker, every policymaker will have access to the reliable healthcare information they need to protect their own health and the health of others.
With thanks, 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
