Strengthening Health Systems in Poor Countries

A Code of Conduct for Nongovernmental Organizations

Bibliographic Data

ID11020135
AuthorsJ Pfeiffer (0000-0002-7985-9437, All authors are with Health Alliance International, Seattle, WA. James Pfeiffer, Wendy Johnson, Meredith Fort, Amy Hagopian, and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. James Pfeiffer and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Kenneth Gimbel-Sherr is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of...), Wendy Johnson (0000-0002-7309-1447, All authors are with Health Alliance International, Seattle, WA. James Pfeiffer, Wendy Johnson, Meredith Fort, Amy Hagopian, and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. James Pfeiffer and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Kenneth Gimbel-Sherr is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of...), Meredith P Fort (0000-0003-0589-1044, Health Alliance International), Meredith Fort (All authors are with Health Alliance International, Seattle, WA. James Pfeiffer, Wendy Johnson, Meredith Fort, Amy Hagopian, and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. James Pfeiffer and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Kenneth Gimbel-Sherr is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of...), Aaron Shakow (0000-0002-3757-6914, All authors are with Health Alliance International, Seattle, WA. James Pfeiffer, Wendy Johnson, Meredith Fort, Amy Hagopian, and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. James Pfeiffer and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Kenneth Gimbel-Sherr is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of...), Amy Hagopian (0000-0002-2120-8295, All authors are with Health Alliance International, Seattle, WA. James Pfeiffer, Wendy Johnson, Meredith Fort, Amy Hagopian, and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. James Pfeiffer and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Kenneth Gimbel-Sherr is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of...), Steve Gloyd (All authors are with Health Alliance International, Seattle, WA. James Pfeiffer, Wendy Johnson, Meredith Fort, Amy Hagopian, and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. James Pfeiffer and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Kenneth Gimbel-Sherr is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of...), Kenneth Gimbel-Sherr (All authors are with Health Alliance International, Seattle, WA. James Pfeiffer, Wendy Johnson, Meredith Fort, Amy Hagopian, and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. James Pfeiffer and Steve Gloyd are also with the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Kenneth Gimbel-Sherr is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of...)
Year2008
Volume98
Issue12
Pages2134-2140
Publication date2008-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2007.125989
PMID18923125
PMCIDPMC2636539
OpenAlexW2127281163
LanguageEN
Citations received50
References cited23

The challenges facing efforts in Africa to increase access to antiretroviral HIV treatment underscore the urgent need to strengthen national health systems across the continent. However, donor aid to developing countries continues to be disproportionately channeled to international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) rather than to ministries of health. The rapid proliferation of NGOs has provoked “brain drain” from the public sector by luring workers away with higher salaries, fragmentation of services, and increased management burdens for local authorities in many countries. Projects by NGOs sometimes can undermine the strengthening of public primary health care systems. We argue for a return to a public focus for donor aid, and for NGOs to adopt a code of conduct that establishes standards and best practices for NGO relationships with public sector health systems

Business · Code of conduct · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Political science · Global Health Care Issues · Global Maternal and Child Health · Healthcare Systems and Reforms · Law · Medicine