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The article presents an overview of research which was conducted on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's grant-making program for public health. The researchers looked at 1,094 global health grants which were awarded by the fund between January, 1998, and December, 2007. They found that the total value of these grants was $895 billion, of which $5-82 billion (65%) was shared by only 20 organizations, and that a wide range of global health organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, also received grants. Questions which were raised about the program as a result of the research are discussed.

The author suggests promoting a health agenda around peace. He notes that wars and violence in the Middle East and north Africa remind that good health is incompatible with war and conflict. He says militarism can undermine democracy, and militarisation is linked with inequitable access to health care and education in low-income countries. He asserts that health professionals can help prevent war by promoting factors that build peace such as democracy and gender equity.

The article focuses on research which examined the pay structures of health workers in the public sector of sub-Saharan Africa, the adequacy of the pay structures, the management of public sector pay, and the fiscal and macroeconomic factors that effect pay policy in the public sector. Researchers found that pay structures vary across countries in complex ways and that health workers commonly use other sources of income to supplement their formal pay. They suggest that in order to optimize the distribution and mix of health workers policy interventions to address their pay and incomes are needed.

The article discusses some major trends and problems in medicine that should be taken into consideration when appointing the new head of the World Health Organization, following the death of the Director-General, Lee Jong-wook. The article points to global health challenges, including poverty and the global political economy, the development and rehabilitation of national health-care systems, protecting people from biological, nonbiological and pharmaceutical hazards, and addressing some of the problems that are barriers to a more effective World Health Organization.

We share Joshua Michaud and colleagues'[1] concern regarding military actors' violations of international humanitarian law, particularly attacks on civilians, health workers and health facilities. To talk of reversing the behaviour of military actors or restoring international humanitarian law is unrealistic.[1] Rather, international humanitarian law must be redefined and its enforcement redesigned to function in an era when armed conflict is no longer primarily interstate. 4 S Kalyvas, The logic of violence in civil war, 2006, Cambridge University Press CambridgeKalyvas S. The logic of violence in civil war. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses partnerships in medical research between wealthy countries and poor countries in Africa. The authors note the poor economies of African countries have hindered research that that partnerships between wealth countries and African research facilities are symbiotic, providing resources to poor countries and disease information to wealthy countries. The authors suggest wealthy countries receive a greater amount of partnership funds and comments that biomedical research receives more attention than public health research. They recommend policy-makers participate more in research and note that universities in poor countries may have to balance research with educational goals.

In this editorial the author expresses concern of the World Bank's strategy in improving health in poor countries. He feels the Bank's claim to expertise and credibility in the field of health systems is troubling. It is his opinion that some of the Bank's inspired reforms already show signs of underpinning the current problems. he disagrees with the Bank's promotion of proprivate market-oriented policies and its view that health care can be reduced to a set of tradeable commodities and services raise important concerns.

A review of the article "The Rohingya people of Myanmar: health, human rights, and identity" by authors including Mahmood S, Wroe E, and Fuller A, which appeared in the periodical "The Lancet" on December 1, 2016, is presented.

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses a health-impact assessment of the possible medical impact of the war on terrorism in Iraq published by public charity Medact, focusing on the lessons that can be learned frm the war on peace building strategies.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article concerning the International Health Partnership (IHP+) health assistance initiative in the September 2007 issue.

Argues that despite the money devoted to health research most of it does not benefit the health of poor people living in developing countries. Concern over the ever growing gap in health care between poor and industrialized nations; Belief that only 10% of worldwide health research funds are allocated to the problems responsible for 90% of the world's burden of disease; Obstacles to be overcome to change this statistic; Suggestions for changes that would address the issues; The difficulties ahead in addressing the imbalance of medical care.

The article discusses research conducted by Eric Friedman and Lawrence Gostin on the immediate causes of the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

In this Series paper, we examine how mother and baby attributes at the individual level interact with breastfeeding determinants at other levels, how these interactions drive breastfeeding outcomes, and what policies and interventions are necessary to achieve optimal breastfeeding. About one in three neonates in low-income and middle-income countries receive prelacteal feeds, and only one in two neonates are put to the breast within the first hour of life. Prelacteal feeds are strongly associated with delayed initiation of breastfeeding. Self-reported insufficient milk continues to be one of the most common reasons for introducing commercial milk formula (CMF) and stopping breastfeeding. Parents and health professionals frequently misinterpret typical, unsettled baby behaviours as signs of milk insufficiency or inadequacy. In our market-driven world and in violation of the WHO International Code for Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, the CMF industry exploits concerns of parents about these behaviours with unfounded product claims and advertising messages. A synthesis of reviews between 2016 and 2021 and country-based case studies indicate that breastfeeding practices at a population level can be improved rapidly through multilevel and multicomponent interventions across the socioecological model and settings. Breastfeeding is not the sole responsibility of women and requires collective societal approaches that take gender inequities into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite proven benefits, less than half of infants and young children globally are breastfed in accordance with the recommendations of WHO. In comparison, commercial milk formula (CMF) sales have increased to about US$55 billion annually, with more infants and young children receiving formula products than ever. This Series paper describes the CMF marketing playbook and its influence on families, health professionals, science, and policy processes, drawing on national survey data, company reports, case studies, methodical scoping reviews, and two multicountry research studies. We report how CMF sales are driven by multifaceted, well resourced marketing strategies that portray CMF products, with little or no supporting evidence, as solutions to common infant health and developmental challenges in ways that systematically undermine breastfeeding. Digital platforms substantially extend the reach and influence of marketing while circumventing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Creating an enabling policy environment for breastfeeding that is free from commercial influence requires greater political commitment, financial investment, CMF industry transparency, and sustained advocacy. A framework convention on the commercial marketing of food products for infants and children is needed to end CMF marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing evidence about the value and importance of breastfeeding, less than half of the world's infants and young children (aged 0–36 months) are breastfed as recommended. This Series paper examines the social, political, and economic reasons for this problem. First, this paper highlights the power of the commercial milk formula (CMF) industry to commodify the feeding of infants and young children; influence policy at both national and international levels in ways that grow and sustain CMF markets; and externalise the social, environmental, and economic costs of CMF. Second, this paper examines how breastfeeding is undermined by economic policies and systems that ignore the value of care work by women, including breastfeeding, and by the inadequacy of maternity rights protection across the world, especially for poorer women. Third, this paper presents three reasons why health systems often do not provide adequate breastfeeding protection, promotion, and support. These reasons are the gendered and biomedical power systems that deny women-centred and culturally appropriate care; the economic and ideological factors that accept, and even encourage, commercial influence and conflicts of interest; and the fiscal and economic policies that leave governments with insufficient funds to adequately protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. We outline six sets of wide-ranging social, political, and economic reforms required to overcome these deeply embedded commercial and structural barriers to breastfeeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the review of the effect of global health initiatives on health system by the Maximizing Positive Synergies Collaborative Group of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The authors discuss the need for a global social movement which can change the governance of trade and health. They refer to articles in the series on trade and health published in the journal. They discuss the domination of transnational food corporations, the effect of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and the effects of trade liberalisation. They note the need for public health advocates to understand how international trade and finance can create wealth.

Background How to finance progress towards universal health coverage in low-income and middle-income countries is a subject of intense debate. We investigated how alternative tax systems affect the breadth, depth, and height of health system coverage. Methods We used cross-national longitudinal fixed effects models to assess the relationships between total and different types of tax revenue, health system coverage, and associated child and maternal health outcomes in 89 low-income and middle-income countries from 1995–2011. Findings Tax revenue was a major statistical determinant of progress towards universal health coverage. Each US$100 per capita per year of additional tax revenues corresponded to a yearly increase in government health spending of $9·86 (95% CI 3·92–15·8), adjusted for GDP per capita. This association was strong for taxes on capital gains, profits, and income ($16·7, 9·16 to 24·3), but not for consumption taxes on goods and services (-$4·37, -12·9 to 4·11). In countries with low tax revenues (<$1000 per capita per year), an additional $100 tax revenue per year substantially increased the proportion of births with a skilled attendant present by 6·74 percentage points (95% CI 0·87–12·6) and the extent of financial coverage by 11·4 percentage points (5·51–17·2). Consumption taxes, a more regressive form of taxation that might reduce the ability of the poor to afford essential goods, were associated with increased rates of post-neonatal mortality, infant mortality, and under-5 mortality rates. We did not detect these adverse associations with taxes on capital gains, profits, and income, which tend to be more progressive. Interpretation Increasing domestic tax revenues is integral to achieving universal health coverage, particularly in countries with low tax bases. Pro-poor taxes on profits and capital gains seem to support expanding health coverage without the adverse associations with health outcomes observed for higher consumption taxes. Progressive tax policies within a pro-poor framework might accelerate progress toward achieving major international health goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the management of the health effects of climate change. The authors explain that inputs from all sectors of government and civil society, collaboration between academic disciplines, and new ways of international cooperation will be needed. The importance of reducing poverty and health inequities is discussed. The greenhouse effect, anthropogenic climate change, and global warming are examined. Six ways that link climate change to health are examined: changing patterns of disease and mortality, extreme events, food, water, shelter, and population and migration. Challenges associated with the generation and dissemination of information are discussed. The technological challenge to address the negative health consequences of climate change in poor countries is examined.

The UK Government asserts that its response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is based on evidence and expert modelling. As the UK was not the first country to face a COVID-19 outbreak, knowledge of the disease and evidence pertaining to effective public health interventions is increasingly available. [Extracted from the article]

The authors discuss the impact of the Health and Social Care Bill of 2011 on the National Health Service (NHS) in England. They note the bill's movement toward eliminating the NHS through the British Parliament, and facilitating the introduction of a U.S.-style health system. Moreover, the authors cite significant legal consequences of Bill which include weakening the accountability of the Secretary of State to Parliament for the provision of services to patients in the NHS.

The authors express their opinion that the health community should help reform global economic governance to promote global health. They explain that the global meeting on the world economy, the G20 summit, does not address the issues of rising poverty, hunger, and the threat to public resources for health services resulting from the economic crisis. The report by the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) is discussed.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Alma-Ata 30 Years On: Revolutionary, Relevant, and Time to Revitalise," by J.E. Lawn, J. Rohde, S. Rifkin, M. Were, V.K. Paul, and M. Chopra.

A letter to the editor is presented concerning Reed Elsevier, the publisher of the periodical "the Lancet".

Presents a reply by Ann Ashworth and colleagues to a letter to the editor about their article "WHO guidelines for management of severe malnutrition in rural South African hospitals: effect on case fatality and the influence of operational factors," in the April 3, 2004 issue.