PharmAccess mobilizes public and private resources for the benefit of doctors and patients through clinical standards and quality improvements, loans for healthcare providers, health insurance, mHealth innovations and operational research.
It’s been five years since Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over Eastern Ukraine. All 298 on board were killed, including our director Prof. Joep Lange and our colleague Jacqueline van Tongeren, who were on their way to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia.
Joep’s vision was bold: he wanted to ensure that every single person in the world, regardless of where they live, has access to good-quality health care and this vision was at the heart of any work he undertook. He understood that global health issues are complex and require collaborative solutions. Joep challenged “don’t let the fact that the problem is overwhelming be an impediment to starting somewhere”. At PharmAccess this spirit continues to drive us forward.
Joep was the founding father of PharmAccess, the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD) and AHTI, the animator of our mission and the architect of our interdisciplinary approach. Jacqueline was key to turning Joep’s plans into reality and was the driving force, as director Communications, behind major AIGHD activities such as the INTEREST Workshops, which has become the premier scientific HIV conference in Africa.
Joep and Jacqueline were mentors and close friends to many of us and their ideas and vision continue to be dearly missed.
