• Community Health Global Network (CHGN)
• Affirm Facilitation Associates
• GeoSentinel
• Conferences
• Healthcare Mission in the 21st Century

Global Health

Working together for a healthier world

Since InterHealth was founded in 1989, we have been committed to the health and well-being of those working to make a difference in the world. With Christian values, humanitarian ideals and poverty reduction at the heart of InterHealth, our staff have traditionally had close linkages with projects in resource poor countries, having spent time in the field on a range of mission and development projects. This experience places us in a unique position of understanding and connection with the clients we serve.

InterHealth has now renewed its strategy for the next 5 years in order to better support the numerous development projects which have arisen from the personal passions and expertise of our staff. As part of this focus, InterHealth will be facilitating selected networks and initiatives that help to provide health care to vulnerable communities. Two of these projects have been fostered by InterHealth for the past few years and will continue to be a strategic focus of our support:

1. Community Health Global Network (CHGN)

   Links and strengthens community based health programmes worldwide.

2. Affirm Facilitation Associates

   Specialises in community responses to HIV and other health issues that overwhelm poor neighbourhoods.

As our focus on vulnerable communities develops, we are able to harness the experience and passion of our team members in leading these initiatives, as well as creating an opportunity to collaborate with our clients in a new capacity. We are now joining our clients in the battle against key humanitarian issues and making a contribution in many of the countries our clients are working. This does not mean InterHealth is planning to become operational in the field. However, it does mean that our work in global health will become increasingly facilitative and will come about through partnerships.We may well find that our paths cross with those who have been in the InterHealth waiting room...

The World Health Organisation defines health as:

 “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. 

The health of an individual or a community is hugely affected by social, spiritual, environmental and economic factors. One amazing figure from Nairobi (Word Health Report WHO 2008) shows that in wealthy parts of the city only 15 children per 1000 children die under the age of 5, but in some slums one child in 4 dies.

We have got used to hearing about all the major changes affecting the health of the poorest people, but they are so important and inlude urbanization, globalisation, climate change, natural disasters, deforestation and outrageous injustices, which feed terrorism. And now there is the economic downturn...

All these pressures on existing health systems, particularly in resource poor countries, are overhwelming.

The three health-related Millennium Development Goals (child mortality, maternal health and infectious diseases) are far from being reached and the following WHO statistics remain undiminished:

• 999 out of 1000 maternal deaths occur in developing countries
• 1.3 billion people still have no access to primary health care
• 3000 children a day die from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa
• The world is short of 2.4 million health workers
• 80% of those in the poorest areas of China cannot afford to use hospital care

The famous Declaration of Alma Ata that first defined Primary Health Care in 1978 stated:

“The main target should be the attainment by all the people of the world of a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially, economically and productive life. Primary health care is the means of achieving this goal.”

Towards the end of 2008 The World Health Organisation published its report Primary Health Care: Now more than Ever (2008) Margaret CHAN, the Director General stated:

“Decades of experience tell us that primary health care is the best route to universal access, the best way to ensure sustainable improvements in health outcomes, and the best guarantee that access to care will be fair.”

Increasingly, Governmental Organisations and Faith Based Organsiations (NGOs and FBOs) are making a big impact as they provide primary health care at the heart of many of the poorest communities. Communities often remote from or disconnected from government health services. WHO, through its own research has shown that that between 40% and 70% of health care provision in Sub-Saharan Africa is provided by “faith-based entities”. Ensuring that there is cooperation and coordination between the local, national and international health provision is a vital step towards improving standards and equality.