Promoting Regional Health Cooperation: The South Asian Public Health Forum

May 2006 | Volume 3 | Issue 5 | e108 The seven countries of South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) have a collective population of nearly 1.4 billion people [1]. This region has a long history of hostility and mistrust among its nations, and heavy governmental spending on defense has diverted resources away from investing in health and education [2–5]. Forty percent of people in South Asia live on less than one dollar per day [6], half of all children below the age of fi ve years are malnourished [7], and the region’s 45% illiteracy rate is the highest in the world [8]. One of the ways in which health professionals can help to improve this poor state of public health in South Asia is through regional cooperation and collaboration. This spirit of cooperation was the driving force behind the formation in 1999 of the South Asian Public Health Forum (SAPHF; http:⁄⁄www.saphf.org). This independent voluntary organization aims to improve communication and interaction between public health professionals working in South Asia or those working outside the region who have an interest in South Asia. It also disseminates public health information to the broader public. In this article, I discuss why the forum was launched, how it operates, the impact that it has had, and the challenges we face.