Programs

Public Health

Law and Health Initiative

Law and Health Initiative aims to enrich the educational process and practices of health and legal professionals by implementing integrated law and health concepts that promote non-discriminatory services and protection of rights of socially marginalized communities.
In 2009, with OSI LAHI technical and financial support for research and drafting process, FOSIM will assist the Law faculty and the School for Public Health to finalize postgraduate course curriculum and related textbook in Law and Public Health. This program will continue to support activities following the implementation of the Practitioners Guide for Patients Rights. Comprehensive training on the use of the practitioner guide will be offered for lawyers and health practitioners interested in taking up patients’ rights cases. To secure updated information related to patients’ rights, functional website will be maintained as well as preparation of a friendly version of the practitioner guide. To encourage individuals experiencing discrimination and violation of rights to seek justice a model for free legal aid will be developed. For the purpose of developing a new generation of lawyers with expertise in human rights in patient care issues, FOSIM will start a one-year fellowship program. The process involves relevant stakeholders and is part of the regional effort managed by OSI LAHI.
Budget: 47.500 EUR

Health Budget Monitoring and Advocacy Project

The Health Budget Monitoring and Advocacy Project is a subprogram that promotes civil society leadership and participation in shaping health policies that respect human rights. The project works to promote transparency of public funding, increase access to key health information, strengthen participation of marginalized populations in health policy debates, and increase the effectiveness, equity, and impact of health expenditures. Within this subprogram, the health budget expenditure related to Roma health will be FOSIM’s priority focus area. In cooperation with OSI HBMAP, technical assistance for a long term capacity building process will be provided for the Romani NGO Mesechina. In that regard, the economic think tank organization Studiorum will deliver training for monitoring state health budget related to Roma health needs. Association for Equality, Emancipation and Solidarity of Women in Macedonia – ESE will provide advocacy training. In addition, an international expert from the Economic Management Center (CEGAA) from Africa will deliver specialized training for budget monitoring and advocacy. 
Budget: 13.000 EUR

Access to Essential Medicines Initiative
The initiative promotes civil society engagement in work that focuses on three key areas: monitoring and ensuring transparency of the pharmaceutical industry, fostering models of drug innovation that protect public health, and supporting fair and efficient mechanisms to ensure availability of medicines. Enabling involvement of the civil society in the process of public control over the budget funds with focus on the funds allocated for the procurement of medicines is an issue which FOSIM’s PHP in cooperation with OSI AEMI will start to develop in 2009. The basic training of procurement observers will be delivered by Procurement Watch Inc (PWI[1]).
Budget: 12.000 EUR

Sexual Health and Rights Project
The main goal of the project is to increase access to health care and advance health-related rights of marginalized persons due to their sexual practices, sexual orientation and/ or gender identity. This includes work with sex workers and sexual minorities, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersexual, and transgender persons. In 2009, FOSIM will enhance advocacy capacities of the Sexual Health and Rights Coalition[2] by providing technical and financial assistance for their operation, so that that will be able to monitor practices and prepare reports aimed to advance the HR comprehensive framework and prevent discrimination. Trainings/ awareness-raising workshops with the target groups will be provided in order to motivate them to report human rights violations that they have encountered. On the basis of the documented cases, a shadow report will be prepared and distributed to national and European institutions, and through WEB pages, mailing lists etc. The initiative started late 2006 and so far, a strategy document was developed and the main instruments and initial report were drafted. In the framework of the activities for 2009, it is envisioned to establish direct communication and collaboration with the Ombudsman (meetings and exchange of information) as well as with other NGOs in order to develop basis for further expansion of the coalition.
Budget: 7.600 EUR