1. Healthcare Information for All www.hifa.org
A global health community of >17,000 members in 177 countries
Please feel free to adapt this for your next presentation!

2. Outline
1. Why is HIFA needed? 2. What is HIFA trying to achieve? 3. How are we achieving our goal? 4. How you can join

3. 1. Why is HIFA needed?
Thousands of children and adults die needlessly every day because they do not receive basic life-saving interventions.
Note: These interventions are often locally available but are simply not provided due to indecision, delays, misdiagnosis, and incorrect treatment.

4. Example: childhood diarrhoea
A thousand children die needlessly from diarrhoea every day in India alone, due to basic errors in care from parents and health workers.
Only 1 in 10 children with diarrhoea in India receive increased fluids to prevent death from dehydration
4 in 10 receive less to drink than normal, thereby tragically increasing their risk of death.
References:

5. Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review
“The studies reveal a gross lack of knowledge about the basics on how to diagnose and manage common diseases, going right across the health workforce and often associated with suboptimal, ineffective and dangerous health care practices.”
Pakenham-Walsh & Bukachi. Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review with a focus on Africa. Human Resources for Health. December 2009, 7:30

6. World Health Organization, 2006
2. What is HIFA trying to achieve? A world where: “Every person will have access to the healthcare information they need to protect their own health and the health of those for whom they are responsible”
“HIFA is an ambitious goal but it can be achieved if all stakeholders work together.”
World Health Organization, 2006

7. Failure of the Global Healthcare Information System
Paper: Can we achieve health information for all by 2015?
The Lancet, 2004; 364:
Fiona Godlee, Neil Pakenham-Walsh et al.

8. Healthcare Information For All
The HIFA Strategy
Better advocacy
Healthcare Information For All
Better understanding
HIFA vision
Better communication

9. >17,000 members on 5 forums in 3 languages 2006– 2006– 2009– 2010–
2011–

10. HIFA: Bringing stakeholders together around a common purpose

12. HIFA Advocacy: Example
“Governments have a legal obligation under international human rights law to ensure that citizens and health workers have access to the information they need to protect their own health and the health of others.”
NYLS & HIFA. Access to Health Information Under International Human Rights Law (2012)

13. 4: How you can join HIFA

14. Already a member? Become a Country Representative

15. Does your organisation support evidence-informed health care
Does your organisation support evidence-informed health care? Become a HIFA Supporting Organisation

16. Do you have a special area of interest? Join/start a HIFA Project
Examples:
Mobile Healthcare Information For All
Information on Medicines For All
Community Health Workers
Evidence-Informed Policy and Practice

17. Thanks to our Financial Supporters 2017

18. >250 HIFA Volunteers HIFA Steering Group
CHIFA, HIFA-French, HIFA-Portuguese and HIFA-Zambia Steering Groups
HIFA Social Media Working Group
HIFA webmaster
HIFA and CHIFA Country Representatives
HIFA Project working group members
Local volunteers.

19. Thank you…