Reclaiming
comprehensive
public health

A CALL TO ACTION for equitable and effective covid-19 responses

JOIN THE CALL TO ACTION

The Call to Reclaim Comprehensive Public Health responds to concerns and missed opportunities in pandemic responses. It calls on heads of state and government, and others involved in shaping the response to COVID-19, to adopt a set of ten principles and approaches to provide inclusive, just, equitable and effective public health approaches in countering COVID-19 and future pandemics.

relcaiming comprehensive public health: a 10-point call to action

As the world has responded to the COVID-19, it has revealed long-standing tensions between biosecurity- and biomedical-focused approaches to public health and those that address social determinants, facilitate participation and protect human rights. This call responds to a concern that certain pandemic responses in countries and at global level have failed to prioritise knowledge, equity and rights, and to learning from the positive impacts of proactive, co-operative, participatory, rights-based and evidence-informed public health responses.

In response, some members of the Reclaiming Comprehensive Public Health Group published a commentary in the BMJ Global Health outlining these concerns and positive experiences and calling for ‘a comprehensive, social determinant, participatory and justice-driven public health, in different regions and countries and globally'. The Reclaiming Comprehensive Public Health Group subsequently convened people from a range of countries, sectors, constituencies and disciplines involved in public health to prepare a Call to Action on heads of state and government and others involved in shaping the response to COVID-19.

We invite all involved in health and pandemic responses to read the Call, and if you support the principles, to sign it (personally and/or institutionally) and engage others. For any questions, please email RCPHcall@gmail.com.

The Call sets out 10 essential principles for a comprehensive approach to countering current and future pandemics.  These key points are outlined below, or follow the link to access the full text of the relevant clause.  The Call can also be viewed in a variety of languages on this page.

Show your support by adding your name to the list of public signatories or signing on behalf of your organisation. Below is the list of signatures from the public since the publication of the call. For any questions, please email RCPHcall@gmail.com.

JOIN THE CALL TO ACTION
Individual signatories

Saki Thapa

Advocacy, Networking and Resource Mobilisation Manager, Birat Nepal Medical Trust ( BNMT )
Nepal

RENEE USDIN

MEDICAL DOCTOR
SOUTH AFRICA

Julie Servais

Ecole de Santé Publique - ULB
Belgium

pierre huygens

ICI Santé
Belgium

Sawadogo Younoussa

ULB
Belgique

Cecilia Centurión

Salud para Todos Argentina
Argentina

María Tarifeño

Todos Frente al Chagas /Chagas Disease Alliance
Argentina

Yogan Pillay

CHAI
South Africa

Dr Imran Mithu

Research Associate, based at BRAC JPGSPH
Bangladesh

David Magala

People Living with HIV/AIDS(PLAS)-Lyantonde
Uganda

Professor Anuj Kapilashrami

Professor in Global Health Policy & Equity, University of Essex
UK

Dr. Jennie Gamlin

Ass/Prof and Wellcome Trust Fellow, Institute for Global Health, UCL
UK

Dr Radha Bhat

Consultant Psychiatrist, London
UK

Ms. Aanu' Rotimi

Concerned individual
Nigeria

Johanna Vögeli

Institutional Fundraiser, Fairmed
Switzerland

Ms Tabitha Hrynick

Institute of Development Studies, Sussex
UK

Dr Lucia D’Ambruoso

Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science, University of Aberdeen
Scotland

Chief Dominique Kondji

Executive Director of BCH Africa Cameroon
Cameroon

Dr. Marie-Gloriose Ingabire

Concerned individual
Canada

Jacqui Webster

The George Institute for Global Health
Australia

Erushka Pillay

South Africa

Paramita DasGupta

Lecturer (Medicine & Public Health Law)
India

Dominique Kondji Kondji

BCH Africa Cameroon
Cameroon

Charles Clarke Lodda

Health Advisor -Relief International South Sudan
South Sudan

Islam Mirghani

SudaHealth Talks
Sudan

Dehran Swart

University of Cape Town
South Africa

Arindam Basu

Associate Professor of population health, University of Canterbury
New Zealand

Moses Tetui

Makerere University School of Public Health, Umea University,
Uganda, Sweden

Ben Harris-Roxas

UNSW Sydney
Australia

Evelyne de Leeuw

CHETRE
Australia

Kayla Lochner

UNSW
Australia

Ambrose Oduch

Child Way Uganda
Uganda

Dinesh Neupane

Johns hopkins University
USA

Fouzia

Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University
Pakistan

Frida Romay Hidalgo

UNAM
Mexico

Jeff Acaba

APCASO
Thailand

Professor Megan Warin

University of Adelaide
Australia

Dr Deborah Bachmayer

General Practitioner, Sydney
Australia

Dr Thomas Aechtner

Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, University of Queensland
Australia

Mrs Kirsten Accoe

Expert, Public Health
Belgium

Dr Wafa Aftab

Aga Khan University
Pakistan

Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Al Bittar

Public Health Consultant
Syria

Pascale Allotey

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Prof Dr. Laura C. Altobelli

Cayetano Heredia University of Peru
Peru

Dr Bernadette Ateghang-Awankem

Biochemist|Medical Scientist|Clinical Research Associate|, Founder and Executive Director of Africa Women 4 Empowerment (AW4E.org) Founder and Chair of Pan-African Health Systems Network
Germany

Dr Augustine Asante

School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Australia

Dr Sharon Attipoe-Dorcoo

Co-Principal, TERSHA LLC
USA

Dr Katie Attwell

School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia
Australia

Dr Maryam Ba-Break

Lecturer in Global and International Health, Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds
UK

Dr. Nitin Bajpai

Sarvodaya Gram Udyog Sansthan, Research Division
India

Dr Dina Balabanova

Associate Professor, Health Systems/Policy, Department of Global Health & Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Health Policy Specialist, Wilmington DE, USA
UK/ USA

Fatma M. Barakat

Health promotion & community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut
Lebanon

Dr Proloy Barua

BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
Bangladesh

Prof Fran Baum

Flinders University
Australia

Prof Solomon R Benatar,

Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Senior Scholar, University of Cape Town
South Africa

Stéphane Besançon

Directeur général ONG Santé Diabète
Mali

Prof Habiba Ben Romdhane

Ex Minister of Health, University Tunis Manar
Tunisia

Dr Soumyadeep Bhaumik

The George Institute for Global Health
India

Dr. Peter Binyaruka

Ifakara Health Institute, Department of Health system, Impact Evaluation and Policy
Tanzania

Prof Gerald Bloom

Institute of Development Studies
UK

Anne-Emanuelle Birn

Professor of Critical Development Studies and Global Health, University of Toronto
Canada

Chris Bostic

Deputy Director for Policy, Action on Smoking and Health
USA

Carlos Guillermo Páramo Bonilla

Profesor asociado, Departamento de Antropología, Decano de la Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Colombia

Dr Leanne Brady

Embedded researcher, Emergency Medical Services, Western Cape Department of Health, Health Policy and Systems Division, University of Cape Town
South Africa

Dr Anne W Bunde-Birouste

School of Population Health, The University of New South Wales
Australia

Prof Garrett Wallace Brown

Chair in Global Health Policy and Co-Lead of Global Health Research, University of Leeds
UK

Richard Burzyniski

Co-Editor Equal Eyes
Switzerland

Prof Kent Buse

Director, Healthier Societies Program, The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales
Australia

Simon Capewell

Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Policy & Systems, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool
UK

Cheryl Carcel

Australia

Dr Gabriel Jaime Otálvaro Castro

Profesor, Universidad de Antioquia, Facultad Nacional de Salud Pública
Colombia

Dr Shakira Choonara

African Union Youth Council
South Africa

Prof Mushtaque Chowdhury

Adviser & founding Dean, BRAC University James P Grant School of Public Health
Bangladesh

Prof Bart Criel

Institute of Tropical Medicine, Department of Public Health
Belgium

Dr Vasco Cumbe

Ministry of Health of Mozambique, Provincial Health Directorate of Sofala (Public Health Department_Mental Health Program)
Mozambique

Dr Sayan Das

Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University
India

Prof Nadav Davidovitch

Director, School of Public Health, Ben Gurion University
Israel

Dr Xavier de Béthune

Mortsel
Belgium

Natalie Desmond

Programme Manager, Health authority
New Zealand

Prof Roberto De Vogli

University of Padova
Italy

Dr Mélanie Dechamps

Cliniques Universitaires St Luc UCLouvain, Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
Belgium

Jantina De Vries

Associate Professor, University of Cape Town
South Africa

Mr Kristof Decoster

Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Public Health Department
Belgium

Dr Thilagawathi Abi Deivanayagam

Public Health Speciality Registrar
United Kingdom

Alessandro Demaio

Christina Dideriksen

Equal Eyes on Our World
USA

Dr Nicola Desmond

Reader in Medical Anthropology and Global Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
UK

Myriam Dierick

Dr Yan Ding

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Department of International Public Health, Centre for Capacity Research
UK

Prof Ghinwa El Hayek

Epidemiologist and Biostatistician
Lebanon

George Gotsadze

President, Curatio International Foundation Tbilisi
Georgia

Prof Tim Ensor

Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds
UK

Rukhshan Fahmi

BRAC James P. Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
Bangladesh

Prof Pieter Fourie

Department of Political Science, Stellenbosch University
South Africa

Prof Lucy Gilson

Health Policy and Systems Division, University of Cape Town and Department for Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
South Africa / UK

Sue Godt

Canada

Prof Jaana Gold

Department of Public Health, A.T. Still University
USA

Prof Lawrence Gostin

Georgetown University, Washington, DC
USA

Prof Jane Goudge

Centre for Health Policy, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa

Amândio Eduardo Fondo

ASSCODECHA (Associacao Comunitaria para o Desenvolvimento Humano)
Mozambique
Institutional signatories

A2D Project-Research Group for Alternatives to Development,Inc

Philippines

ABLE

Juba, South Sudan

ACON

Sydney, Australia

AIHM

India

AIHMS-Global

India

AISE Consulting Group

APCASO

Thailand

ASSCODECHA (Associacao Comunitaria para o Desenvolvimento Humano)

Mozambique

AU ECOSOCC Kenya National Chapter

Kenya

Action on Smoking and Health

USA

Africa Women 4 Empowerment

Germany

Afrihealth Optonet Association (CSOs Network)

Nigeria

Agape Women Initiative for Sustainable Development (AWISD)

American Institute of Dental Public Health

USA

Aminata Maternal Foundation Limited

Australia

Australian Council for International Development (ACFID)

Australia

BCH Africa Cameroon

Cameroon

Belgian Lung and Tuberculosis Association

Belgium

Build Peace and Development

République Démocratique du Congo

CHETRE

Australia

Center for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD)

Uganda

Centre for Accountability and Inclusive Development (CAAID)

Nigeria

Centre for Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa

Centre for the Development of People

Malawi

Chemonics International, S. Arlington, VA

USA

Child Way Uganda

Uganda

College of Public Health Medicine of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa

South Africa

Community Partners International (CPI)

Myanmar/US/Bangladesh

Connected Advocacy for Empowerment and Youth Development Initiative

Nigeria

Curatio International Foundation Tbilisi

Georgia

Damien Foundation Belgium

Belgium

Daraja Press

Canada

Dianova International

Switzerland

Director, Office of Global Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia

United States

Doctorado en Salud Pública Programa Interfacultades, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Colombia

Doctors of the World Belgium

Belgium

Dr Uzo Adirieje Foundation (DUZAFOUND)

Nigeria

European Forum for Primary Care (EFPC), Utrecht

The Netherlands

Frontline AIDS

GDSS DELHi

India

Ghana Platform for UHC

Ghana

Global Action on Men’s Health

UK

Global Communities

Global Health 50/50

UK

Global Health Research, University of Leeds

UK

Govinda Pradhan Smruti Sansad (GPSS)

India

Govinda Pradhan Smruti Sansad (GPSS)

India

Grassroot Development Center for Peace and Social Justice

Nigeria

HEARDatUNSW (Health, Rights and Development) UNSW

Australia

Health Action International Asia Pacific

Malaysia

Healthy Societies

UK

Heed the Child Initiative (HCI)

Nigeria

India

India

Indian Public Health Professional Network

India

Institute of Development Studies

UK

Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru

India

International Institute for Human Development

India

Iodine Global Network

Global

John Snow, Inc. (JSI)

KANCO

Kenya

Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA)

Kenya

Laboratoire Educations et Pratiques de Santé (LEPS) at Sorbonne Paris Nord University

France

Madhira Institute

Kenya

Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV and AIDS (MANERELA+)

Malawi

Medical Impact

Medicus Mundi International Network

Switzerland / Global

Medicusmundi Spain

Spain

Memisa

Belguim

Movendi International

Sweden

Muslim Family Counselling Services

Ghana

Médecins Sans Vacances

Belguim

NATIONAL FRONT FOR THE PEOPLE HEALTH OF ECUADOR (NFPHE)

Ecuador

NCD Alliance

Global

NCD Alliance of Kenya

Kenya

NGO

India

National Development Youth Club (NGO)

India

Nigeria Association of Evaluators (NAE)

Nigeria

North West University

South Africa

N’weti

Mozambique

Obesity Canada

Canada

Organisation For Health in Sustainable Development (OHISD)

Cameroon

Partners for Impact (PFI)

Germany

People's Health Movement Tanzania

Tanzania

People's Open Access Education Initiative (Peoples-uni)

UK

People’s Federation for National Peace and Development (PEFENAP), Blantyre

Malawi

People’s Health Movement

Global

People’s Health Movement Canada

Canada

Platform for Social Research on Mental Health in Latin America (PLASMA)

Peru, Colombia, Chile, and Brasil

Pragati Path

India

Primary Care International (PCI)

UK

Project Concern International, a Global Communities Partner (PCI), San Diego

USA

Public Health Action (PHACT)

Public Health Foundation

Bangladesh

Regional Network for Equity in health in East and Southern Africa

East and Southern Africa

Road Ethics Project NPC

South Africa

STAR Scholars Network

Bangladesh

Salud para Todos Argentina

Argentina

Santé Diabète

Mali

Scarlett Consulting International

USA

School of Population Health, UNSW Medicine, UNSW Sydney

Australia

Show your support for the Call and encourage others to sign on by sharing it on social media.
A tweet sheet with suggested posts and accompanying infographics can be found here.

Below can find the 10 key components of the call, which can be downloaded or shared directly to twitter.

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Reclaiming
comprehensive
public health

A CALL TO ACTION for equitable and effective covid-19 responses

JOIN THE CALL TO ACTION

THE Reclaiming comprehensive public health group

The Reclaiming Comprehensive Public Health Group involves people from diverse regions, areas of work and disciplines. It was initially drawn from discussions in the Health Systems Global SHAPES technical working group on promoting a comprehensive public health approach in responses to COVID-19. It has since expanded to include those involved in related health processes, such as the EQUINET-coordinated work on community engagement in responses to COVID-19. Different group members have contributed to various outputs, including the Call. The discussion in the Group on advancing a comprehensive public health response continues.

Thanks to those involved in producing the call to action, which includes:

Kirsten Accoe, MPH, Scientific Expert, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium

Wilson Damien Asibu, Executive Director, Country Minders for People's Development, Malawi

Sharon Attipoe-Dorcoo, Ph.D., MPH, Co-Principal, TERSHA LLC, USA

Dina Balabanova, Associate Professor in Health Systems/Policy, Department of Global Health & Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Gerald Bloom, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, United Kingdom

Kent Buse, Director, Healthier Societies Program, The George Institute for Global Health, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Hawa Camara, MPH, CHES, Implementation Science Researcher, PhD candidate, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Sayan Das, Research scholar, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

Thilagawathi Abi Deivanayagam, Specialist Registrar in Public Health, University of Liverpool, UK

Nicholas A. Hooton, MA, MSc, VetMB, Research Uptake Advisor, Abergavenny, UK.

Natasha Howard, Associate Professor National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Singapore.

André Janse van Rensburg, Senior Researcher, Centre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Barbara Kaim, Programme Manager, Training and Research Support Centre, Zimbabwe

Rene Loewenson, Director, Training and Research Support Centre, Zimbabwe

Julia Lohmann, Assistant Professor, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK

Leslie London, Professor of Public Health Medicine, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Hayley MacGregor, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.

Marsha Orgill, Senior Research Officer, Health Policy and Systems Division, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Nitin Bajpai, MPH,  Research Manager, Health Division, Sarvodaya Gram Udyog Seva Sansthan, India

Masuma Mamdani, Independent Public Health Consultant, London, UK

Kaaren Mathias, Director - Burans community mental health, Herbertpur Christian Hospital, India and Public Health Physician, Canterbury District Health Board, NZ

Claudio A. Méndez, MPH, director and associate professor of health policy, Instituto de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

Tolib Mirzoev, Professor of International Health Policy and Systems, Health of Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development, University of Leeds, UK

Devaki Nambiar, Program Head, George Institute for Global Health, India

Erica Nelson, Research Fellow, Centre of History in Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England; Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, England

Ateeb Ahmad Parray, MPH, Fellow, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Elisabeth Paul, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

Stefan Swartling Peterson, Professor of Global Health, Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden and Makerere University, Uganda

Bridget Pratt, Senior Research Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia

Ari Probandari, Professor of Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia

Eric Sarriot, Sr Health Systems Strengthening Advisor, Save the Children, Washington DC. USA [formerly]

Prashanth N Srinivas, Faculty & DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Fellow, Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, India

Felipe Szabzon, Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning CEBRAP, Citizenship, Health and Development Team, São Paulo, Brazil

Stephanie Topp, Associate Professor of Global Health and Development, College of Public Health Medicine and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University.

Godelieve Van Heteren,  MB/MD, Sr. International health and health systems, governance and PBF Advisor, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Keshri Vikash R, Senior Research Fellow, The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India

Sophie Witter, Professor of International Health Financing and Health Systems, Institute of Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK

Anthony Zwi, Professor of Global Health and Development, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

The hosting of the Call via Healthy Societies does not imply any direct relationship between the RCPH and Healthy Societies, or endorsement by or liability of the RCPH group for other content or functions on the Healthy Societies site.

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