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Chapter 1 - Introduction. The Origins of the International Society for Equity in Health (ISEqH).The Inaugural Conference of ISEqH and the first General Assembly, which took place in Havana, Cuba, June 29-30, 2000, were both the culmination of a long process and hard work of a small group of dedicated people. The idea of organizing an international scientific society oriented toward equity in health began in late 1995. At that time, it was felt that increasing interest in and attention to health inequities in both political as well as scientific sectors made it opportune to organize an international effort to address the problems in a scientific manner, with the hope of further increasing international awareness of the potential and promise of concerned action toward improving the distribution of good health and toward minimizing the systematic disadvantage suffered by defined segments of the world community, both within as well as across countries. A scientific society addressed at such a goal could play an important role in promoting and disseminating concepts and methodologies toward achieving equity in health. In early 1996, the first draft constitution was defined and circulated to approximately 150 individuals who were thought to be interested in such a society. At the same time (in March 1996), the International Society for Equity in Health Inc. was presented and approved as a non-stock corporation by the State of Maryland, USA. Since that time, encouraging responses have been received from individuals working in universities, government organizations, and non-governmental organizations and representing diverse disciplines and specialties including but not limited to bioethics, health economics, public health, epidemiology, social and political sciences, and quality of medical services. In July 1996, Dr. Barbara Starfield from Johns Hopkins University, USA, and Dr. José María Paganini from La Plata National University, Argentina, gathered with a small group at Union Station in Washington, DC, and were designated as Interim President and Secretary, respectively, of the fledgling Society. From 1996 to 1998, a small secretariat was organized without any external support, located in the "Interdisciplinary University Center for Health" (Centro INUS in Spanish) at the School of Medical Sciences, National University, La Plata, Argentina.
During this period, contacts with potentially interested individuals were expanded and advantage was taken of many international forums of different types to further explore potential interest.
These contacts allowed the Interim President and Secretary to develop an e-mail list of approximately 350 potentially interested individuals. In March 1998, a National Forum on Equity and Health was organized in Argentina with the participation of Dr. Starfield, Dr. Paganini, and many other experts in the subject. This meeting was also the occasion for the formation of the first national society, namely the Argentinian Society for Equity in Health (Sociedad Argentina para la Equidad en Salud "SAES"). This Society was approved under Argentinian law as a not-for-profit scientific society with tax exempt status in June 1999. The SAES is located at the School of Medical Sciences, Centro INUS, National University, La Plata, Argentina. The PAHO-WHO country office in Argentina also provided a valuable contribution to the SAES meeting that took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 6-8 April. At the same time, it was also decided to actively pursue support for a formal inaugural meeting of the Society. With such purpose, grant proposals were developed and presented to the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the March of Dimes Foundation. As a result, grants totaling US$109,950 were received.
At the same time, the PAHO/WHO Director, George Alleyne,
decided to offer the technical support of the Health and Development
Division. In this context, the Bireme Center, located in Sao Paulo,
Brazil, supported the ISEqH Secretariat for the designing and
development of the ISEqH Website. Return to Top |
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