Our new 'About HIFA' page [ https://www.hifa.org/about-hifa ] raises a couple of points in relation to what we mean by 'universal access to reliable healthcare information:
1. The concept of 'universal access' includes past as well as current access to reliable healthcare information. What matters is that every person has the reliable healthcare knowledge they need to inform health decisions, whether this is through past or current exposure to reliable healthcare information.
2. HIFA's definition of universal access does not mean that all information should be open access. Open access is an enabler of universal access but is neither a prerequisite nor sufficient for meeting information needs.
I invite comments on the above.
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