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Posted on Categories Featured, General News, News 129 Comments on Application process for 2013 fellowships now open

Application process for 2013 fellowships now open

CEHURD (Center for Health, Human Rights and Development) invites journalists to apply for the 2013 intellectual property and human rights reporting fellowships. The fellowship is a one-year mentoring and capacity-building program for Ugandan journalists to report on issues cutting across intellectual property and human rights.

Purpose of the Fellowship Program

The CEHURD IP and Human Rights Media Fellowship Program aims to enhance the capacity of journalists in the mainstream media to appreciate the links between IP protection and social welfare, and the implications of the on going developments in the protection of IP rights at the different levels, and their implications for public health, access to educational materials, the right to food, and other human rights.

In 2013, the fellowship program will focus on:

  • The on going commercial law reform processes in Uganda and the East African region;
  • The on going dialogue around a possible extension to the transition period granted to LDCs to comply with the TRIPS Agreement; and
  • Alternative models for balancing the rights of IP owners and users, taking the case of the Creative Commons licenses and how it works for journalists and other information users;

Methodology

Successful applicants will attend a- two-day residential orientation training, and will be supported to identify and undertake follow-up activities. Selected candidates will be paired with a supervisor at the media house they are attached to, and linked with experts in the fields of IP and human rights who will provide technical guidance to the candidate to investigate story ideas they identify. The successful candidates will also participate in field visits to key organizations involved in IP work. The follow-up activities will not require full time work and will be supported through small grants.

Eligibility

Interested applicants should:

  • be journalists working with or attached to mainstream mass media in Uganda, including national (or East Africa level) newspapers, radio, or television;
  • commit to be available for the training, field trips and other follow-up activities between February 2013- December 2013;
  • Journalists reporting on policy issues (e.g. covering Parliament), and those with editing roles will have added advantage.

Application process

Interested candidates should express their interest in writing to CEHURD by email to info@cehurd.org with a copy to Primah on kwagala@cehurd.org

Applications should be sent by

Thursday 28th February 2013 and should be accompanied by the following:

  • A personal CV clearly showing qualifications, expertise and experience
  • brief information on the institution that they are attached to; their employment status and position; and any work they have done themselves related to trade, health, education or agriculture;
  • Confirmation that they are available for both the training workshop and the follow-up work.
  • Endorsement by the immediate supervisor/editor

Successful candidates will be notified by Thursday 7th March 2013. For details of this call please check here

Posted on Categories Featured, General News, News 102 Comments on Intellectual Property and Human Rights Media Fellowships

Intellectual Property and Human Rights Media Fellowships

Application process for 2013 fellowships now open

CEHURD (Center for Health, Human Rights and Development) invites journalists to apply for the 2013 intellectual property and human rights reporting fellowships. The fellowship is a one-year mentoring and capacity-building program for Ugandan journalists to report on issues cutting across intellectual property and human rights.

Introduction

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, which include inventions, literary and artistic works, symbols, names, images, and designs used in trade. IP rights are, therefore, the entitlements given to owners of IP, in form of patents, copyrights and others. These rights give the creator or inventor (holder of IP right) the legal right to prevent others from benefiting from their idea except with their permission. This protection aims, in principle, to promote innovation and creativity.

On the other hand, human rights principles and mechanisms require that IP rules do not stifle access to essential goods for the welfare of society, particularly in least developing countries (LDCs) with relatively lower levels of innovation. LDCs such as Uganda, are struggling to conform to new global standards of IP protection as prescribed by the multilateral Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement).

Like other LDCs, Uganda is in the process of reforming the different commercial laws to align them with the TRIPS Agreement. As a result, the Copyright and Neighboring Rights Act, and the Trademark Act were enacted in 2006 and 2010, respectively. IP-related laws still in draft form include Industrial Properties Bill; Plant Variety Protection Bill; Trade Secrets Bill; Geographical Indications Bill; Competition Bill; and Counterfeit Goods Bill. Each of these laws and draft laws has serious implications for human rights in LDCs, including the very existence of their people.

At the same time, the coming of digital technology is increasingly making it difficult for owners of IP rights to restrict access to their ideas and innovations, and complicating the enforcement of IP laws. CEHURD and partners recently launched an initiative for open access to IP-protected work for public use. These “Creative Commons Licenses” are a unique scheme that balances the underlying principles of copyright laws with the reality of the Internet.

Purpose of the Fellowship Program

The CEHURD IP and Human Rights Media Fellowship Program aims to enhance the capacity of journalists in the mainstream media to appreciate the links between IP protection and social welfare, and the implications of the on going developments in the protection of IP rights at the different levels, and their implications for public health, access to educational materials, the right to food, and other human rights.

In 2013, the fellowship program will focus on:

  • The on going commercial law reform processes in Uganda and the East African region;
  • The on going dialogue around a possible extension to the transition period granted to LDCs to comply with the TRIPS Agreement; and
  • Alternative models for balancing the rights of IP owners and users, taking the case of the Creative Commons licenses and how it works for journalists and other information users;

Methodology

Successful applicants will attend a- two-day residential orientation training, and will be supported to identify and undertake follow-up activities. Selected candidates will be paired with a supervisor at the media house they are attached to, and linked with experts in the fields of IP and human rights who will provide technical guidance to the candidate to investigate story ideas they identify. The successful candidates will also participate in field visits to key organizations involved in IP work. The follow-up activities will not require full time work and will be supported through small grants.

Eligibility

Interested applicants should:

  • be journalists working with or attached to mainstream mass media in Uganda, including national (or East Africa level) newspapers, radio, or television;
  • commit to be available for the training, field trips and other follow-up activities between February 2013- December 2013;
  • Journalists reporting on policy issues (e.g. covering Parliament), and those with editing roles will have added advantage.

Application process

Interested candidates should express their interest in writing to CEHURD by email to info@cehurd.org with a copy to Primah on kwagala@cehurd.org

Applications should be sent by Thursday 28THFebruary 2013 and should be accompanied by the following:

  • A personal CV clearly showing qualifications, expertise and experience
  • brief information on the institution that they are attached to; their employment status and position; and any work they have done themselves related to trade, health, education or agriculture;
  • Confirmation that they are available for both the training workshop and the follow-up work.
  • Endorsement by the immediate supervisor/editor

Successful candidates will be notified by Thursday 7THMarch 2013. –Click here to down the call for applications poster

Posted on Categories Featured 290 Comments on Mulago launches multi-billion Women’s hospital project

Mulago launches multi-billion Women’s hospital project

By Francis Kagolo

State minister for Primary Health Care Sarah Opendi hands over the artistic impression of the proposed hospital to Islamic Development Bank Engineer Zohair Kashgary, January 9th Jan 2013. PHOTO/Maria Wamala

KAMPALA – The health ministry has launched a project to construct a 320-bed capacity women’s hospital aimed at decongesting Mulago and curbing maternal deaths in the country.

The $34.14m (about sh91.5b) state-of-the-art national maternal and neonatal referral centre is to be constructed at Mulago hospital complex to handle high-risk maternity services.

The centre will also handle cancers of the female reproductive system including ovarian cancer, uterine, endometrial, cervical, and vulvar cancer.

The hospital, funded mainly through a loan from the Islamic Development Bank, will also offer family planning services among others. It will also have a 60-bed unit for the private wing.

Launching the project on Wednesday, State health minister Sarah Opendi was optimistic that the hospital would go a long way in improving maternal health once completed in 2016.

It is estimated that about 16 women die every day from giving birth in Uganda, bringing the number to over 580 a year.

At Mulago, between 80 and 100 mothers give birth on the floor daily due to congestion.

Mulago was built in 1962 when Uganda had only eight million people, but the population has since increased to over 34 million without significant expansion at the national referral hospital.

“This means that wards which used to accommodate eight patients, take 34 patients today,” said Mulago hospital director Dr. Dr. Byarugaba Baterana.

“Expectant mothers must continue delivering on the floor until we complete this new structure
Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/638791-mulago-launches-multi-billion-women-s-hospital-project.html

Posted on Categories News

Landmark India IP Board Decision Against Hepatitis C Drug Patent

By Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch

India last week saw a landmark public health decision on the evolving role of intellectual property rights in the context of the public interest.

The country’s Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) revoked a patent granted in India to F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Roche) for pegylated interferon alfa-2a (Pegasys), a medicine used to treat Hepatitis C.

The IPAB decision is here

The case has generated significant interest because it breaks ground in two ways: the patent granted to Roche in 2006 was the first product patent on a medicine in India after the country switched to a product patent regime for medicines as mandated by the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). It is also India’s first successful post-grant opposition case.

While welcoming the IPAB’s decision, Eldred Tellis, director of Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust, a nongovernmental organisation which had challenged the patent, told Intellectual Property Watch: “In short term, we will have to look for those interested in producing a biosimilar which will be available at for possibly 8 to 10 times less than Pegasys.” In the long-term, Tellis said he hopes the Indian government will wake up to the seriousness of the problem of Hepatitis C in the country. “There is a need to produce it cheaply, and give it free to those who need it,” he added.

Sankalp works with injecting drug users who often suffer from Hepatitis C. It had filed for a post-grant opposition challenging the patent with help from India’s Lawyers’ Collective HIV and AIDS Unit. India’s Patent Law allows pre-grant and post-grant opposition. In 2009, Sankalp’s post-grant opposition was rejected by the Patent Office. Undeterred, Sankalp filed an appeal before the IPAB challenging the decision.

Whether the IPAB decision will trigger more post-grant oppositions remains to be seen.

Source: http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/11/04/landmark-india-ip-board-decision-against-hepatitis-c-drug-patent/

Posted on Categories Featured

Preventing Maternal Mortality and complications

By Dr. Cory Couillard:
Annually, 16 million girls aged between 15 and 19 give birth each year.  Ninety percent of the births in developing countries occur in adolescent marriages according to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics. In many countries, the risk of maternal death is twice as high for adolescent mothers.

Motherhood is often a fulfilling experience but sadly it is commonly associated with severe health consequences without proper care, education and support.  Conditions that are related to pregnancy and childbirth are the second cause of death among women of reproductive age.

Severe bleeding, infections, unsafe abortion and high blood pressure conditions are four of the main killers that cause 70 percent of deaths.  In all, over 358,000 women die per year and most of these are preventable.

20 million pregnancy complications

Maternal health simply refers to the overall health of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. More than 136 million women give birth per year and about 20 million of them experience pregnancy-related complications. Maternal health or the lack of it is a major public health crisis.

It is important to know that the bleeding after a delivery can kill even a healthy woman if unattended.  The risk of death is directly related to the access and availability of proper healthcare services.  Generally, access to services is related to the income of the family or individual.  Less income generally equates to less access to care and greater risk of death or complication.

Women who are attended by trained healthcare professionals are rarer than you think.  Nearly half of all childbirths in developing countries are not attended to properly.  Attended childbirths still pose the risk of complications such as infections if cleanliness and hygiene standards are not strictly adhered to.

Unsafe abortion & infant death
There are over 18 million unsafe abortions that are carried out every year that result in over 46,000 deaths. Half of these abortions are considered unsafe.

WHO defines unsafe abortion as a “procedure for terminating a pregnancy that is performed by an individual lacking the necessary skills, or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both.”

It is estimated that three-quarters of newborn deaths could be prevented if women were adequately nourished and received appropriate medical care from early pregnancy through the post-delivery period.

Currently, about four million infants die within their first month. Improved access to medical care and maternal nutrition would significantly reduce stillbirths, which now number 3.3 million worldwide.

Many women in developing countries give birth before the age of 18. Many of these women have been married off as children and lack the education, money, and status to get adequate healthcare services.

Complications run rampant in adolescent pregnancies.  Children having children will face substantial risk from having small pelvises that can obstruct labor resulting in long labor times, birth injuries and an increased risk of still born babies.

Education highest priority

Experts at the World Health Organization point to education as the primary way of addressing maternal health in many developing countries. Education can address the root causes — poverty, low status of females and lack of access to healthcare.

The education of girls and young women does a lot more than just improving the lives of mothers; it protects children’s health, facilitates healthy families, creates less of a burden on healthcare delivery systems and overall improves society.

Dr. Cory Couillard is an international healthcare speaker and columnist for numerous newspapers, magazines, websites and publications throughout the world. He works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.

Email: drcorycouillard@gmail.com
Facebook: Cory Couillard
Twitter: Cory_Couillard

Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/636891-preventing-maternal-mortality-and-complications.html

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