There is no guarantee that a successful pilot program introducing a reproductive health innovation can also be expanded successfully to the national or regional level, because the scaling-up process is complex and multilayered. This article describes how a successful pilot program to integrate the S...tandard Days Method (SDM) of family planning into existing Ministry of Health services was scaled up nationally in Rwanda.
more
This paper examines the extent to which health workers differ in their willingness to work in rural areas and the reasons for these differences, based on the data collected in Rwanda analysed individually and in combination with data from Ethiopia.
This paper aimed to demonstrate how participatory action research (PAR) within a Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) project facilitated community participation to advocate for the rights of people with visual impairment. An advocacy campaign, led by the local people with and without disabilities, ...was launched for the construction of an accessible foot over- bridge (FOB) at Vangani railway station in Maharashtra, India.
more
The key question addressed in this article is social inclusion, as an opposite concept of social exclusion. The author provides a historical of social inclusion/exclusion terminology. Further, some of the principles of social inclusion are presented. In the end, the article focuses on the role of ed...ucation as a very important and useful tool for ensuring social inclusion.Social inclusion through education, in particular through vocational education, considered by the author as the only way towards sustainable development of Albanian society.
more
A treatment literacy guide for pregnant women and mothers living with HIV
Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention for Women and their Babies is intended for use by networks of women living with HIV, women’s groups, peer educators and others wishing to help guide women living with HIV t...hrough the decisions they will need to take before, during and after their pregnancy. It is not intended as a substitute for going to a health facility and seeking information from a healthcare worker.
The facilitator’s manual and flipchart are intended to be used by leaders of support groups, peer educators or lay counsellors to facilitate small groups or community sessions with women living with HIV. Together, they provide accurate and comprehensive information to enable pregnant women and mothers living with HIV to know their rights and make informed decisions about their health, and the health of their baby.
more
Thaninthari Nature Reserve (TNR) Project
Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2016) 13(4):123-131
Out of 400 questionnaires distributed to the participants, 389 were returned with data acceptable for analysis. Ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 75 years (Mean=43 + 11.6). Out of the 272 (69.9%) participants who conceded that th...ey had used medicinal herbs at least once, 30 (7.7%) participants used medicinal herbs frequently while 242 (62.2 %) rarely used the herbs. At least 20 plant species belonging to 16 families were reportedly used by the participants. Asteraceae was the most common plant family reportedly used by the participants. Allium sativum and Dicoma anomala, reportedly used by 21.0% and 14.3% respectively, were the most commonly used medicinal herbs in this population. In addition, boosting the immune system and treating gastrointestinal ailments, apparently cited by 32% and 28% participants respectively, were the most commonly reported reasons for using medicinal herbs.
http://dx.doi.org/10.21010/ajtcam.v13i4.17
more
Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2013) 10(5):210-229
Plants are important sources of medicines. Herbal medicines in Lesotho are exposed to excessive exploitation and habitat destruction. Comprehensive information to promote proper use and conservation of these herbal medicines is lacking. ...This study described the uses of medicinal plants in Lesotho with comparative reference between practice and the literature, highlighting important ethno-medicinal information and conservation status of the plants. Additionally, the study established a repository and monograph for the herbal medicines in Lesotho.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajtcam.v13i1.20
more
Policy note: Cambodia Health Systems in Transition.
The health system includes a mix of public and private providers. The use of private providers is much greater among the wealthy, while the use of informal-sector health providers is greater among the poor. Due to these circumstances there is ...considerable scope to establish appropriate public-private cooperation and to reinforce the regulatory mandate of the Ministry of Health (MOH).
more
Стандарты для сокращения риска бедствий
The National Health Plan (NHP) aims to strengthen the country’s health system and pave the way towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC),choosing a path that is explicitly pro-poor. The main goal of NHP 2017-2021 is to extend access to a Basic Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS) to the entir...e population by 2020 while increasing financial protection.
more
Following the encouraging initial results of the pilot project, the Ministry of Health is committed to increasing access to MDR-TB diagnosis, treatment and care. An expansion plan for the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB has been developed and forms part of the Five Year National Strateg...ic Plan for TB Control, 2011-2015. The long-term goals of the MDR-TB expansion plan are threefold:
1. Diagnosis of MDR-TB in all groups of patients at risk for MDR-TB
2. Diagnosis of MDR-TB in all HIV-infected TB patients
3. MDR-TB treatment for all patients diagnosed with MDR-TB under WHO-endorsed treatment protocols
more
The main objective of the malaria prevention and control programme in Somalia is to prevent mortality and reduce morbidity due to malaria. The groups most vulnerable to the disease, children aged under 5 years and pregnant women, are especially targeted. Effective case management - early diagnosis a...nd treatment - is a critical component of malaria prevention and control. To achieve the main objective of reducing malaria morbidity and prevention of malaria mortality, the availability of safe, effective, affordable and accessible anti-malarial drugs is a prerequisite.
more
A large meta-analysis of observational studies that provided the basis for the recent makeover of global recommendations for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment shows that newer and repurposed drugs produced better outcomes and fewer deaths than older treatments.
The meta-analysis... of 50 studies involving 12,000 patients from 25 countries, published yesterday in The Lancet, found that bedaquiline, linezolid, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin were associated with greater treatment success and reduced mortality compared with the previously recommended first-line treatments, while clofazimine and carbapenem antibiotics were associated with significantly improved treatment outcomes (but not reduced mortality)
more
Formularies are lists of antibiotics that are suggested for certain healthcare settings. In developing a recommended formulary, countries should consider the needs of patients and facilities where they receive care. For example, clinicians in rural or primary health centers may need wide access to f...irst-line antibiotics (e.g., penicillin, ampicillin, TMP-SMX), but last resort antibiotics such as carbapenems or colistin might be limited to tertiary care hospitals. Efforts to create antibiotic formularies may be linked to efforts within countries to create or update essential medicine lists (EML).
more