May good mental well-being prevail: Global Health newsletter edition – 11

By Megha Kaveri   

Hello everyone, 

After a longish break, we are back with another edition of our newsletter.

May is World Mental Health Awareness Month. Across the world, the number of people getting diagnosed with mental illnesses is on the rise. The different ways in which mental illnesses manifest in people and the societal taboo associated with them make them among the most difficult issues to tackle and control. Psychological therapy and psychiatric medications are effective in helping those with mental illnesses cope, manage, and recover. In this context, here’s a shout-out to the GISA Welfare Committee, which is working to make IHEID a supportive community. May we urge you to feel free to approach them and the Student Welfare and Support Services with your concerns about mental well-being while you are here?

Our first and most important story for this edition is the EU’s new pharma regulations. Tipped to be an overhaul of the legislation governing the pharmaceutical industry in Europe, the new proposal aims to make medicines more accessible and affordable, encourage innovation, and reduce bureaucratic hassles. Here’s a detailed story about the proposal and its possible implications and reactions.

Another big news story that could have effects across the world is the recent US Supreme Court order blocking a lower court ruling restricting access to mifepristone, a popular abortion pill used in the country. A bit of background here: a Texas court restricted access to the pill, stating that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a mistake in approving mifepristone. Based on the order, mifepristone was limited to being used up to seven weeks into pregnancy and was banned via mail order. This explainer gives a breakdown of what this means.

That’s all for the detailed part of the newsletter this time.

We still have a curated list for you.

ICYMI reads: 

Devex CheckUp: A public health lab in Sudan has become a battlefield (Devex)

The devil lurking in the Dust (Vox)

Global Progress on Mental Health (Think Global Health)

WHO to Share Information with Congolese Court in Sexual Abuse Cases of 13 Women (Health Policy Watch)

COVID’s future: mini-waves rather than seasonal surges (Nature)

Events: 

The Geneva Global Health Hub is hosting a series of debates via Zoom in the run-up to the World Health Assembly. Here’s the link for more details and registration.

Papers: 

Gender in public health research: Reflections on design and process across four research projects in low-and middle-income countries (open access)

Podcasts: 

BBC Health Check: Why we need more black doctors? Listen to the episode here.

We hope you liked our curation of selected news pieces for you. We aim to improve our choices in the coming days. The Global Health Initiative is a student initiative at the Geneva Graduate Institute where students passionate about global health policy meet and network. For more information about us, check us out on Instagram at @graduateinstitute_ghi.

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Whilst you are here!

The Graduate Press is currently raising funds for our 5th-anniversary print edition and we need your help. The last 5 years at the institute have seen some incredible highs and lows and TGP has been there for them all. Now TGP wants to immortalise that history.

If you can, we are currently accepting donations via our GoFundMe page.And if you would like to be involved with The Graduate Press and the 5th anniversary edition you can email us at gisa.thegraduate@graduateinstitute.ch or via Instagram.