INASP-Health Cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is widely perceived to have a special potential not only as a health information provider, but also as a coordinator, facilitator, and advocate for access to information for healthcare workers as an issue, working with the health information community worldwide to develop and help implement cost-effective strategies. WHO is particularly well placed to coordinate health information activities to support ministries of health at country level.
The WHO took up the challenge to work more closely with the health information community, using INASP-Health services and the Health Information Forum as a tool. The aim was to develop a strategic framework for international cooperation between the WHO and other organisations involved in improving access to health information. The framework was intended to clarify priorities and respective roles of the WHO and other international players, laying the foundation for a more coherent, cooperative approach for the future.
The first WHO-HIF Cooperation Group meeting took place on November 17 1999, and the process continued until October 2000.
WHO and INASP-Health are grateful to the British Medical Association for providing complimentary meeting facilities for WHO-HIF Cooperation Group meetings.
WHO-HIF Cooperation Group Meetings
- Meeting 1: Objectives and process
- Meeting 2: Target audiences, WHO and the international health information community
- Meeting 3: Questionnaire results, WHO and health information, and criteria for successful partnerships
- Meeting 4: Framework development, priority areas for action, and recommendations
- Meeting 5: Framework and way forward