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This report presents a detailed desk review providing the constitutional provisions of the right to health in 15 countries in east and southern Africa (ESA): Angola, Botswana, Congo-Brazzaville, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The review was carried out within the Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET) by the Center for Health, Human Right and Development. This paper used the six core obligations as spelt out in General Comment 14 to assess the inclusion of the right to health in the constitutional provisions of the ESA countries: to ensure the right of access to health facilities, goods and services on a non-discriminatory basis, especially for vulnerable or marginalised groups; to ensure access to the minimum essential food which is nutritionally adequate and safe, to ensure freedom from hunger to everyone; to ensure access to basic shelter, housing and sanitation, and an adequate supply of safe and potable water; to provide essential drugs, as from time to time defined under the WHO Action Programme on Essential Drugs; to ensure equitable distribution of all health facilities, goods and services; and to adopt and implement a national public health strategy and plan of action.

Least developed countries have until 2016 to reform their IP regimes and enact new patent laws in line with Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). A number of amendments to the TRIPS agreement were made – TRIPS 'flexibilities' – to take care of the health-related concerns of developing countries. Member states have the authority to use these flexibilities when this is necessary to protect public health and to promote access to medicines. The Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI), under the umbrella of the Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET), carried out an assessment of LDCs in East and Southern Africa with regard to their progress towards the new intellectual property (IP) regimes. The study reviewed the situation in sixteen east and southern African countries through a desk review of published and grey literature. The study found that most of the IP regimes currently in ESA countries were in existence before the TRIPS agreement was adopted. These included laws that provide some flexibilities, which were in most cases not being implemented. Only Mauritius and Zambia have formally adopted the protocol amending the TRIPS agreement at the WTO. The December 2009 deadline has been further extended to the end of December 2011 and it is important for all ESA countries to formally adopt the proposal by then to avoid unnecessary renegotiations of the TRIPS amendments. This paper presents a number of recommendations on how ESA countries should apply and implement the TRIPS flexibilities.

Photographs speak louder than words. This book presents photographs taken by community photographers in seven east and southern African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Zambia. We called our photographers the ‘Eye on equity’ team because the work was part of EQUINET’s participatory action research work. Implemented through institutions in east and southern Africa, this work investigated, documented and implemented actions to understand and promote equity in health. We added photography as another tool to build and strengthen people-centred health systems and people’s empowerment in health. The book presents images of equity in health and of actions to improve health. These are the stories of insiders: of members, health workers and health activists in the communities that are shown in the photographs. The photographs are being used to stimulate discussion of health issues and actions. The book thus introduces both the realities and the work underway. It opens discussion on community photography as a means of keeping an eye on equity and as a tool for change. The web version is for onscreen viewing. For a hard copy of the book please contact us at the email address given.

The AIDS epidemic has resulted in over 1 million orphans and many other vulnerable children in Zimbabwe. Most of these children remain in their communities, either in child-headed households or looked after by their extended family or members of the community. While there has been a massive response from local organisations to the plight of these children, many programmes have been designed in a top-down manner, without taking into consideration the views of the children themselves. The study used a mix of quantitative assessment and participatory action research methods (PRA) to explore and strengthen the participation of orphans and vulnerable children in primary health care (PHC) in Victoria Falls, a town in the north-western part of Zimbabwe. Children, community representatives and health workers identified three priority health problems faced by these children, ie: poor access to ART; child abuse; and poor housing. Structural constraints, such as poverty and weakened health and community services, were seen as the primary underlying causes of these problems. Those involved identified actions they could take to address these problems, and based on this community organisations strengthened psychosocial support activities, undertook a number of awareness campaigns, initiated and participated in child protection committees and started to meet monthly to strengthen coordination. A participatory review of the interventions suggested that child involvement is an important component in a primary health care approach to designing ways of meeting children's needs, through structured platforms for the exchange of information and experiences, provision of child friendly services, and promotion of effective communication between health workers, community members and children.