The revision of the SRHR Policy is based on the results of the analysis of ...e-to-highlight medbox">the implementation process of the past policy, which has provided evidence to
ensure that the revised policy is relevant and effective. The revision has also been done with the participation of all national stakeholders who have
also international experience on SRHR issues. The Ministry urges all public and private institutions to use this policy as a guide in the implementation of
SRHR services in the country.
more
The Transformation Agenda (TA) ushered in an ambitious reform process intended to transform the World Health Organization (WHO) into an organization that is proactive, results-driven, accountable an...d which meets stakeholder expectations, towards transforming and improving public health services in the African Region. It aimed to achieve a WHO that is pro-results, which optimally and creatively targets technical work as well as make operations more responsive, with greater effectiveness in both communications and partnerships. The Africa Region has been the epicentre of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and it’s one of the leading causes of disease and death on the continent. The WHO, with partners, has worked tirelessly for many years to control the threat and reduce the negative impact of the disease. Since the early 2000s, significant progress has been made in the global fight against the scourge of HIV. However, the WCA subregion was falling concerningly behind ESA on several key indicators of progress. In 2016, the WHO joined UNAIDS, UNICEF and other partners in a call for a strong and urgent response to support WCA countries to develop catch-up plans to triple and fast-track ART coverage, to enable the region to catch up with ESA by the end of 2020. Implementation of a widespread test-and-treat strategy, coupled with the scale-up of differentiated service delivery (DSD) and mobilization of requisite funding, accelerated WCA’s progress towards this goal. The HIV treatment catch-up and fast-track plan has achieved its target of seeing the West and Central African region (WCA) catch up with the Eastern and Southern African region’s (ESA) antiretroviral coverage rate of 78% in 2021, albeit later than the 2020 target time frame. A 33% improvement was achieved in WCA, against 21% in ESA, between 2015–2020. WCA achieved a significant 42% increase, compared to ESA’s 23%, between 2015 and 2021, to see WCA draw level with ESA at 78%. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) alone, progress of up to 47% was observed between 2015 and 2020, for example. In addition, 1.6 million more People Living with HIV (PLHIV) were enrolled on antiretroviral treatment (ART) between 2015 and 2020.
more
The article outlines the prioritized research agenda for the prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) as part of ...attribute-to-highlight medbox">the World Health Organization's (WHO) action plan on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) from 2008 to 2013. It highlights the significant global impact of CRDs, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other related conditions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The document stresses the need for effective prevention strategies and better surveillance, as well as enhanced healthcare infrastructure and resources in LMICs. It calls for research into CRD risk factors, effective interventions, and integrated care approaches that align with broader NCD prevention programs. The article emphasizes the importance of public health initiatives and cross-sector collaborations to reduce the disease burden and improve patient outcomes.
more
The 2023 meeting of the WHO Clinical Consortium on Healthy Ageing (CCHA) was the group’s ninth gathering and took place in Geneva 5–7 December ...2023. The meeting was structured around seven panels, with a series of technical presentations, plenary discussions and group work, and a final session outlining the work programme for 2024.
more
The Country Cooperation Strategy is the World Health Organization (WHO)’s reference for country work guiding planning and resource allocation through alignment with national health priorities and ...harmonization with other development partners. It clarifies roles and functions of WHO in supporting the national strategic plan for health through the Sector-Wide Approach and Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II. The Country Cooperation Strategy is based on a systematic assessment of the recent national achievements, emerging health needs,
challenges, government policies and expectations. An evaluation of the previous CCS was conducted and jointly discussed with the Ministry of Health as well as other key stakeholders. This process led to the identification of the, achievements, challenges and shortfalls of the previous CCS. Through this process the areas where WHO needed to focus on were also identified. The CCS development has also been done in parallel with the formulation of the new Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) to ensure that there is a linkage between the two.
more
The Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) calls for making AMR a core component of professional education and training. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) published Competen...cy framework for health workers’ education and training on AMR to ensure that academic institutions and regulatory agencies provided pre-service and in-service training to equip health workers with the adequate competencies to address AMR. This was followed by Health workers’ training and education on AMR: curricula guide, which outlines the learning objectives and expected outcomes of pre-service training of health workers to improve curricula. These tools were designed to strengthen the capacity of health workers in various settings to address the growing challenge of AMR.
more
The Ideal Clinic manual has been developed to assist managers at various levels of healthcare service provision to correctly interpret and understand the requirement for achieving ...bute-to-highlight medbox">the elements as depicted in the Ideal Clinic framework/dashboard. It can therefore be regarded as a reference document which guides the managers to determine the status of Ideal Clinic framework/dashboard elements in a facility.
more
The importance of robust mortality surveillance systems cannot be overstated in an era marked by increasing global health challenges where health threats loom large and population dynamics continue to evolve. Accurate and timely mortality data is es...sential for identifying trends and detecting emerging health threats, evaluating the impact of interventions, and guiding evidence-based policy decisions.
This framework outlines a holistic approach to strengthening routine mortality surveillance systems, considering the unique contextual factors and challenges faced by African countries. It emphasizes the importance of establishing efficient data collection mechanisms, enhancing data quality and completeness, and promoting data sharing and collaboration among stakeholders.
Moreover, the framework recognizes the pivotal role of technology in the integration of data from fragmented mortality data sources. It highlights the potential of innovative data capture methods, advanced analytics, and real-time reporting systems to enhance mortality data’s accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness.
The continental framework for mortality surveillance aligns with Africa CDC’s mission and strategic goal by serving as a fundamental component in strengthening public health systems, enhancing disease surveillance capacities and capabilities, informing evidence-based policies and interventions, and promoting collaboration and coordination among African countries to address health challenges and improve health outcomes on the continent.
The successful implementation of this framework requires collective commitment and concerted efforts from governments, health institutions, and the international community. We hope this document will serve as a catalyst for transformative change, enabling countries to build resilient mortality surveillance systems that protect public health, save lives, and contribute to evidence-based decision-making.
more
The government of Rwanda conducted the 2010 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) to gather up-to-date information for monitoring progress on healthcare programs and policies in Rwanda, includ...ing the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
and Vision 2020. The 2010 RDHS is a follow-up to the 1992, 2000, 2005, and 2007-08 RDHS surveys. Each survey provides data on background characteristics of the respondents, demographic and health indicators, household health expenditures, and domestic violence. The target groups in these surveys were women age 15-49 and men age 15-59
who were randomly selected from households across the country. Information about children age 5 and under also was collected, including the weight and height of the children.
more
The companion Handbook on Humanitarian Access presents the normative framework pertaining to humanitarian access in situations of armed conflict, and therefore serves as a useful reference source fo...r humanitarian practitioners on the normative framework.
This initial version of the Field Manual – labeled Version 1.0 – was elaborated by Conflict Dynamics International in collaboration with the FDFA and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Development of the structured approach and guidance contained in this Manuel
involved a consultation process which included bilateral meetings with humanitarian organizations, regional consultation events and consultations during several field visits, including dedicated field missions
more
The MSF qualification scheme is concerned with the pharmaceutical quality assessment for drugs. This procedure is applicable to products for international supply, i.e. products supplied through ...n class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">the MSF procurement centres. This qualification procedure is not applicable for local purchase, i.e. purchase of drugs within the project countries. For quality assurance principles and assessment of drugs for local purchase refer to the guideline for local pharmaceutical market assessment.
more
The Healthy Living Toolkit is developed to educate refugees, immigrants, resettlement agencies, clinics, community based organizations, and other service providers on refugee health issues. The tool...kit presents material in a culturally appropriate manner and is intended to help health care-related professionals more effectively assist refugees and immigrants and reduce health disparities among these populations. The toolkit is available in multiple languages
more
The resources provide both the older as well as the updated Operational Guidelines for antiretroviral therapy centres, including administrative iss...ues, functions and establishment of centres, reporting and recording tools, measures to improve retention in HIV care, supply chain management of drugs and various other aspects that are essential to ensure quality treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.
more
The first WHO Priority Assistive Products List was launched in May 2016. The List includes hearing aids, wheelchairs, communication aids, spectacles, artificial limbs, pill organizers, memory aids a...nd other essential items for many older people and people with disabilities to be able to live a healthy, productive and dignified life
more
The changes occurring in Myanmar highlight the need to have a robust DRR network that can support the Government as well as ...to-highlight medbox">the communities in their efforts to build a resilient Myanmar. To this end, the DRR WG devised and facilitated a multi-stakeholder process aiming to develop its Strategic Framework 2013-2018. This document is the outcome of a series of internal workshops and external consultations, in particular with the relevant departments of the Government of Myanmar. This Strategic Framework will guide the collective efforts of the DRR WG over the next five years.
more
The study on refugee economies shows that refugees and former refugees are contributing positively to Zambia’s economy in various ways and have the potential to contribute even further if legal an...d other obstacles are removed.
The study targeted mainly Congolese, Burundian, Somali, and Rwandan refugees as well as former refugees from Rwanda and Angola in urban areas and the two rural refugee settlements, Mayukwayukwa (Kaoma District/Western Province) and Meheba (Kaulumbila District/North-Western Province).
more
The Department of Health (DOH) today requested the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Chair Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana to convene a full council meeting and declared a nation...al dengue epidemic in the wake of the 146,062 cases recorded since January up to July 20 this year, 98% higher than the same period in 2018. There were 622 deaths.
more
The toolkit's purpose is to:
improve the primary health care response for older persons.
sensitize and educate primary health care workers about ...">the specific needs of their older clients.
provide primary care health workers with a set of tools/instruments to assess older people's health.
raise awareness among primary care health workers of the accumulation of minor/major disabilities experienced by older people.
provide guidance on how to make primary health care management procedures more responsive to the needs of older people's needs.
offer direction on how to do environmental audits to test primary health care centres for their age-friendliness.
The toolkit comprises a number of instruments (evaluation forms, slides, figures, graphs, diagrams, scale tables, country guidelines, exam sheets, screening tools, cards, checklists, etc.) that can be used by primary health care workers to assess and address older persons' health. These resources are meant to supplement and not to replace local and national materials and guidelines
more
The pre-clinical pipeline shows more innovation and diversity, with 252 agents being developed to treat WHO priority pathogens.
However, these products are in the very early stages of development... and still need to be proven effective and safe. The optimistic scenario, the report indicates, is for the first two to five products to become available in about 10 years.
more
The following checklist can help hospitals assess and improve their preparedness for responding to a community-wide outbreak of COVID-19. Each hospital will need to adapt this checklist to meet its unique needs and circumstances. This checklist shou...ld be used as one of several tools for evaluating current plans or in developing a comprehensive COVID-19 preparedness plan.
more