Merit, privilege & public health/policy

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Over the past several years, watching raging social media debates and the shaping of merit in public discourse in India spurred this editorial on merit in public health/policy that appeared in BMJ Global Health as an editorial on August 6, 2021. Many thanks to Seye Abimbola, the journal’s Editor-in-Chief for his comments. As noted in the acknowledgements, a lot of internal reflection and churning from various life events, many of them not necessarily pleasant have shaped this editorial.

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Dignity

Quote

At a recent workshop for south Indian Adivasi writers, Werner Soors (of Les Petit Roberts fame) wrote this poem rather spontaneously based on a brainstorm of potential themes of interest for writing. He set it to a blues rhythm on his Ukulele and even sang it but meanwhile the English text of the song of which a crude Kannada translation is ongoing.

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Teaching/learning case study for OneHealth approach in zoonotic disease: case of Kyasanur Forest Disease collaborations

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Teaching module on human resources for health by WHO

In November 2017, the WHO’s Alliance for Health Policy & Systems Research came out with a reader on human resources for health. This effort was lead by Asha George and colleagues at the University of Western Cape in South Africa along with Kerry Scott and Veloshnee Govender. As editors, they brought several people together (including myself) to work on seven chapters that summarised current health policy and systems evidence base on what we called as a software components of human resources for health.

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Hesaraghatta wetlands

With close to 300 species recorded, the Hesaraghatta wetlands north of Bengaluru is one of the important wintering sites for tends of thousands of migratory birds that winter every year. In addition, its open grassland, marshes and the waterbody needs to be protected from various corporate interests which invariably have an eye on such open lands and acquire it for “development”. Invariably, such “development” neglects many local communities who get walled out of such commons as the land gets privatised. Often, the step to getting it privatised is to first declare it as “wasteland” etc.

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ಆರ್ ಎಸ್ ಎಸ್: ಆಳ ಮತ್ತು ಅಗಲ/RSS Aaala Mattu Agala (English translation) [available on Archive.org]

NOTE: I read this book and responded immediately by translating into English assuming that the author’s foreword allowed anyone to do this and based on public statements attributed to him inviting widespread dissemination, and interpreting it as a waiver of his rights. However, the author has noted that translation requires his prior permission. With apologies to the author for issuing a translation without their permission, the previous translation uploaded here is hereby withdrawn. If you are looking for a version of the translation uploaded by “esvin.martese” on Archive.org, scroll below to end of post. Meanwhile see the official translation of the book here.

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