Richard Smith, a former editor of the BMJ, and Tracey Pérez Koehlmoos of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, have argued that medical publishers must 'continue to provide free access to all of their journals in all of the 64 low-income countries signed up to the HINARI system'. This is published in a comment to be published in the forthcoming issue of medical journal Lancet. Their call follows the withdrawal of free access by publishers such as Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Elsevier, Springer and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
The Health InterNetwork for Access to Research (HINARI) programme was formed in 2001 to provide least developed nations in the world with free access to the latest medical research. It is part of the Research4Life partnership between UN agencies, STM publishers, university libraries and technology partners, which is one of many initiatives that allow free and/or reduced-cost access for research and health institutions in developing countries.
Earlier this month, researchers in Bangladesh received a letter from WHO announcing that several publishers would no longer be allowing free access to their 2,500 journals through the HINARI system. After news of the withdrawals became public, the AAAS, publisher of Science, reportedly restored access to its journals through HINARI in Bangladesh. The move was then followed by Elsevier. Also, Springer, in a recent announcement, denied having withdrawn free access to journals via HINARI.
In a correspondence, STM publisher Elsevier has stated that its Research4Life programme, that includes the HINARI, AGORA and OARE systems, is a 'cornerstone' in the company's goal of achieving universal access to STM research information. However, in some developing countries such as Bangladesh, Elsevier says it is slowly moving away from HINARI-style access to discounted commercial agreements. But before moving to such a commercial agreement in 2012, it aims to give Bangladesh a free trial of regular access platforms throughout 2011.
The Lancet has welcomed this change in policy, and hopes it will be permanent.
Bangladesh is not the only country affected by this situation, it has been reported. Institutions in Nigeria and Kenya are facing similar free access withdrawals. WHO has now revealed access restrictions from major publishers apply in 28 of the 64 countries deemed to have the lowest income in the world.
In an accompanying editorial, the Lancet calls for universal free access to continue in the 42 countries deemed as having low human development by the UN. The list includes Bangladesh, Nigeria and Kenya.
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