Submitted to the US Agency for International Development by the
Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program.
This manual provides a framework to identify problems and...n> design interventions to improve access to and use of medicines for children. It is a resource for both health policy makers and health system managers and presents a structured approach to the steps introduced in the framework in the context of child health.
more
Policy and systems. Global Mental Health(2017),4, e7, page 1 of 6. doi:10.1017/gmh.2017.3
This primer aims to guide health professionals on engaging with WASH-related issues. It gives an overview of WASH interventions and the status ...n class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of WASH services globally and outlines key linkages with health. It provides examples of key actions that health actors can take to ensure WASH efforts effectively protect public health and highlights World Health Organization (WHO) activities to support those actions.
more
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to large increases in healthcare waste, straining under resourced healthcare facilities and exacerbating environmental impacts from solid waste. This report quantifies the additional COVID-19 healthcare waste generated,... describes current healthcare waste management systems and their deficiencies, and summarizes emerging best practices and solutions to reduce the impact of waste on human and environmental health. The recommendations included in the report build on actions in the WHO manifesto for a healthy recovery from COVID-19: prescriptions and actionables for a healthy and green recovery. They target the global, national and facility levels to promote a “win–win” scenario for COVID-19 PPE use, testing and vaccinations that are safe and support environmental sustainability.
more
Safe water, sanitation and hygiene (collectively known as WASH) are crucial for human health and well-being. Yet, millions ...o-highlight medbox">of people globally lack adequate WASH services and consequently suffer from or are exposed to a multitude of preventable illnesses.
more
Patient-centred care (PCC) is a pillar of quality health services, where decision-making power is shared between the clinician and the patient. Alt...hough, this approach could be adopted with easiness in high income settings or in countries with unified health systems, in settings such as Peru, where universal access and other structural problems remain a challenge, the practice of PCC is not a priority. In Peru, research on PCC has been conducted for almost two decades, but this has not generated a need for development in academia, decision makers, health personnel or patients. Here, we give an overview of the road that PCC research has taken in Peru and the challenges that remain to translate it into clinical practice.
more
The QualityRights training and orientation modules have been developed to enhance the knowledge, skills and understanding of key stakeholders on ho...w to promote the rights of people with psychosocial, intellectual or cognitive disabilities, improve the quality of services and support provided in the field of mental health and related areas, in line with international human rights standards, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the recovery approach.
mental health and related fields, in accordance with international human rights standards, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the recovery approach.
more
Development assistance for health (DAH) is an important part of financing healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. We estimated the gross di...sbursement of DAH of the 29 Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for 2011–2019; and clarified its flows, including aid type,
channel, target region, and target health focus area. Data from the OECD iLibrary were used. The DAH definition was based on the OECD sector classification. For core funding to non-healthspecific multilateral agencies, we estimated DAH and its flows based on the OECD methodology for
calculating imputed multilateral official development assistance (ODA).
more
The WHO Quality Toolkit: Navigating tools to improve the quality of health services helps easy identification and access to a wide range ...s="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of WHO published materials to improve the quality of health services. These tools support the actions described in the Quality health services: a planning guide, which outlines a structured, systems-based approach to improving quality of health services. Whether you work at the facility, sub-national or national level, or in specific communities, you will find resources within the Quality Toolkit to help you carry out essential tasks to improve quality of care
more
In this paper we aim to provide information on the importance of efficiency measurement of health care facilities in developing countries. We state... that efficiency measurement can be a substantial contribution to saving lives. Therefore we analyse the performance of health centres in rural Burkina Faso making use of data which were taken from a comprehensive long-term cost information system. In the subsequent parts of this article, the study site is described and the DEA method outlined. The ensuing analysis of the data is carried out in two stages. Firstly, quantitative aspects concerning relative efficiency are presented. Secondly, the measures of performance are explained. The implications of the results are then discussed.
more
A focus on Cambodia and Ethiopia
o date, little evidence is available on how such integration occurs at country level. To address this knowledge gap, WHO has conducted several in-depth situational analysis in countries that are undertaking actions ...to improve WASH in Health Care Facilities as part of their quality of care improvement efforts. The purpose of the situation analyses was to capture mechanisms that “jointly support” WASH in HCF and quality of care improvements and also identify barriers and challenges to implementing and sustaining these improvements.
more
R4D conducted a thorough desk review and qualitative fiscal space analysis, 19 interviews about financing for the three diseases and the extent of ...alignment between public financial management systems and health policy objectives, and a validation workshop with government officials.
Tanzania’s disease response faces a triple transition challenge: replacing donor funding, closing the resource gap that would exist even with donor funding, and more efficiently delivering on disease response objectives.
more
Care for persons with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a major health priority for most countries worl...dwide, particularly for low-middle income countries where the problem seems to be worsening. Globally, research demonstrates that the vast majority of people with NCDs receive suboptimal care. Many people living with chronic conditions remain undiagnosed and unaware of their condition, while many others remain untreated or with inadequate control. Meanwhile the premature mortality caused by NCDs remains high in many countries. In response to the global epidemic of NCDs, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in 2012, which establishes 9 voluntary global targets and indicators to be considered by Member States when formu- lating national plans to combat NCDs.
more
This document is an evidence-based policy for the implementation of sound tuberculosis (TB) infection control by all stake- holders. It recommends a combination of measures aimed at reducing the ris...k of TB transmission within populations. The emphasis is on early and rapid diagnosis, and proper management of TB patients.
more
Ghana is attracting global attention for efforts to provide health insurance to all citizens through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). With the program’s strong emphasis on maternal ...an class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and child health, an expectation of the program is that members will have increased use of relevant services. The NHIS does appear to enable pregnant women to access services and allow caregivers to seek care early for sick children, but both the quantitative and qualitative assessments also indicated that the poor and least educated were less likely to have insurance than their wealthier and more educated counterparts.
more
Thefirst report on Latin America and the Carribean presents key indicators on health and health... systems in 33 Latin America and the Caribbean countries. . Analysis is based on the latest comparable data across almost 100 indicators including equity, health status, determinants of health, health care resources and utilisation, health expenditure and financing, and quality of care. The editorial discusses the main challenges for the region brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as managing the outbreak as well as mobilising adequate resources and using them efficiently to ensure an effective response to the epidemic.
more
In 1997, the Fiftieth World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA50.29 on the elimination of
lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem. Pre...liminary guidance from WHO printed in 2011 referred to “verification” as the official process by which the achievements of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) would be confirmed. For the sake of harmonization, the terminology now used for elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem is “validation”. In 2015, the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases endorsed standardized processes for confirming and acknowledging success for all neglected tropical diseases targeted for eradication, elimination of transmission, or elimination as a public health problem.
more
This technical report presents the epidemiology of human and animal leishmaniases in the EU and its neighbouring countries ...o-highlight medbox">and concludes that the disease remains widespread and underreported in many countries of southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East and that there is a need to improve leishmaniasis prevention and control based on robust surveillance in humans, animals, and vectors, and to increase public awareness following a one health approach.
more
The World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing the second edition of its Global Accelerated Action for the Health ...ight medbox">of Adolescents (AA-HA!) guidance. The document aims to equip governments to respond to the health and well-being challenges, opportunities and needs of adolescents.
The guidance provides the latest available data on adolescent health and well-being. It also outlines an updated list of core indicators that data should be collected on. Globally, road injury was the top cause of death for adolescent males in 2019. Among female adolescents, the leading causes of death were diarrhoeal diseases among the younger group (10-14 years) and tuberculosis (TB) in the older group (15-19 years).
Over the last 20 years, mortality rates have declined among adolescents globally, with the largest decline in older (15–19 years) adolescent girls. For non-fatal diseases, the burden has not improved over the past two decades, with the main causes of ill health in this category being: mental health conditions (depressive and anxiety disorders, childhood behavioural disorders), iron deficiency anaemia, skin diseases and migraine.
Adolescent well-being depends on a range of factors, including healthy food, education, life skills and employability, connectedness, feeling valued by society, safe and supportive environments, resilience, and the freedom to make choices. To take an appropriately holistic approach, the guidance outlines how to take crosscutting action to support adolescent health and well-being, with mutually reinforcing interventions across sectors, such as health, education, social protection, and telecommunications. Targeted efforts are also required to engage adolescents, as they trust health systems less than adults do and are especially vulnerable to modern-day trends, like online bullying and gaming.
more
Air pollution is a major environmental risk factor and contributor to chronic, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). However, most public health approaches to NCD prevention focus on behavioural ...ass="attribute-to-highlight medbox">and biomedical risk factors, rather than environmental risk factors such as air pollution. This article discusses the implications of such a focus. It then outlines the opportunities for those in public health and environmental science to work together across three key areas to address air pollution, NCDs and climate change: (a) acknowledging the shared drivers, including corporate determinants; (b) taking a ‘co-benefits’ approach to NCD prevention; and (c) expanding prevention research and evaluation methods through investing in systems thinking and intersectoral, cross-disciplinary collaborations.
more