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November 15, 2019
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Accelerating HIV epidemic control in Angola: A sustainable model for comprehensive HIV services [2]

HIV & AIDS [4]
[2]

 

“We want to provide excellent services to our patients; the same level of care they would receive in Paris, Thailand, or the United States of America.” - Dr. Lombe Kilamba, an HIV Case Manager at Kilamba-Kiaxi Municipal Hospital

The Government of Angola is working to scale up early diagnosis and treatment of HIV. While the country’s HIV prevalence is lower than many of its neighbors, AIDS-related deaths increased by 33% [5] between 2010 and 2018. The number of new infections is also on the rise, particularly among young women, and just 28% of adults and 13% of children [5] living with HIV are receiving treatment.

Read more [2]
November 13, 2019
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How an HIV program in Angola went online, against all odds [7]

HIV & AIDS [4]
LINKAGES Angola} [7]LINKAGES Angola's peer educators: Garcia, Kudibanza, Dario, Michel, and Henrique. Photo credit: LINKAGES Angola

This story was originally published on the LINKAGES blog [8]

Written by Rafaela Egg, LINKAGES Angola; Ben Eveslage, FHI 360; Denizia Pinto, LINKAGES Angola; & Caitlin Loehr, IntraHealth International

 

“Here they come again with another ‘big idea,’ another innovation, to see how we can improve.” – Dario, community peer educator, Luanda, Angola

Read more [7]
October 28, 2019
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How to outsmart superbugs: We know what to do but must get better at applying what we know [10]

Health Systems Strengthening [12]
[10]An Afghan nurse washes her hands before taking care of patients in Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, Kabul Afghanistan. Photo Credit: Jawad Jalali

Originally published by Scientific American [13]

“Rise of the superbugs.” “Global crisis.” “Nightmare bacteria.” “Deadly fungus.”

The media has caught on to the dire threat that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents, and it has certainly captured the urgency of the situation.

Global health professionals know this crisis has been years in the making and have been acting accordingly. We know, however, that we cannot contain the spread of AMR without strengthening health systems in low- and middle-income countries, which tend to have weaker surveillance systems for drug use and infectious disease management. Our efforts would be futile. It’s time to take stock of where we are and figure out our focus going forward; we have no time to lose.

The global health organization I work for, Management Sciences for Health (MSH), has been strengthening health systems in dozens of countries for almost 50 years, alongside governments, donors, global organizations like the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Consortium and the World Health Organization (WHO) and other nonprofits. Based on results to date, here are four lessons we have learned:

Read more [10]
October 28, 2019
comments [14]

Leading Voices: Daniel Gemechu [15]

Health Systems Strengthening [12]
Warren Zelman} [15]Photo credit: Warren Zelman

Meet Daniel Gemechu, MSH Regional Director for the USAID-funded Challenge TB Project in Ethiopia. MSH has worked in Ethiopia since 2011 to improve the quality of TB care and prevention services. Over the past five years, treatment success rates rose above 90%, with 75% of those suffering from multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) now able to beat the disease after completing their treatment regimens. We asked Dr. Gemechu to reflect on his experience working with MSH and what remains to be done to eliminate the disease in Ethiopia.

[Dr. Gemechu cross-checks doses taken and doses remaining on TB treatment patient kits at a health center in Oromia region to verify whether treatment is being delivered according to national guidelines.]Dr. Gemechu cross-checks doses taken and doses remaining on TB treatment patient kits at a health center in Oromia region to verify whether treatment is being delivered according to national guidelines.What drives you to fight TB in your home country? 

Read more [15]
October 17, 2019
comments [16]

Fragile States Need Private Sector Allies [17]

Fragile States [19]
Universal Health Coverage [20]
[17]A cholera patient recovers at a treatment center in Lilongwe District, Malawi. Photo Credit: Erik Schouten/MSH

This story was originally published by Global Health Now [21]

It was January of 1925, and Nome’s children were dying. Diphtheria had struck the Alaskan town, but the curative serum the local doctor needed was in Nenana, nearly 700 miles away.

Sub-zero temperatures meant that shipping the serum by air was not an option, so the governor turned to sled dog teams, which had delivered mail on that route. Over 5 and 1/2 days, 20 mush teams and their human drivers set up a relay and delivered the lifesaving medicine, a trek known as the “Great Race of Mercy”—now commemorated every year in an event called the Iditarod.

The moral: Get help when you need it, no matter how unorthodox.

We need to employ that strategy in global health development by integrating private sector organizations into our health system solutions more often. They operate where governments cannot and are a rich source of flexibility and innovation. When a country’s government is frozen by conflict, natural disasters, financial crisis, or another crippling event, its health care system is all too likely to follow. Health workers flee or fall victim themselves, and hospitals run out of medicine and go dark. Others must step in to fill the void.

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October 17, 2019
comments [22]

Addressing Gender Inequality Through Nutrition: Lessons from Malawi [23]

Women & Gender [26]
[23]Mother and baby await health services at a health center in Mulanje, Malawi. Photo credit: Samy Rakotoniaina/MSH

This story was originally published by Deliver for Good [27]

Many women are the bedrock of families yet tend to lack access to and control over resources to ensure a diverse and nutritious diet before, during, and after pregnancy. Luckily, gender sensitive nutrition programming that is integrated with MNCH and reproductive health activities can deliver healthier lives for women, their children, and their families.

Violet, a young mother living in Karonga district in central Malawi, delivered her first baby at a community hospital in September. Throughout her pregnancy, she attended six antenatal care (ANC) visits. Her delivery was smooth and without complication, due to her good health and nutrition. Her husband attended her delivery as her guardian.

Read more [23]
October 07, 2019
comments [28]

Making the Case for Investing in Community Health Workers [29]

Health Systems Strengthening [12]
Universal Health Coverage [20]
[29]Community health workers in Madagascar review patient data. Photo Credit: Samy Rakotoniaina/MSH

When community health programs are well-designed, managed, and sufficiently funded, they can yield substantial health and economic benefits. In addition to contributing to a healthier, more productive population, they can reduce the risk of costly epidemics while generating substantial cost savings for families and health systems (1). On the other hand, when poorly designed or managed and insufficiently funded, community health programs can fail to improve poor health outcomes and advance national health priorities.

Recognizing their potential in strengthening primary care and advancing Universal Health Coverage [31], countries are increasingly formalizing the role of the community health worker within their health systems. In fact, many countries have passed national community health policies to ensure that community health workers (CHWs) are well trained, incentivized, and equipped to provide a basic package of life-saving services within their communities.

Related

Community Health Planning and Costing Tool [32]

Read more [29]
October 03, 2019
comments [33]

What Does Scalable Innovation in Global Health Look Like? [34]

Health Systems Strengthening [12]
Universal Health Coverage [20]
[34]Prize winner Vishal Phanse shares how his company, Piramal Swasthya, uses telemedicine and community outreach programs to make health care more accessible and available to marginalized populations in India. Photo credit: Sarah McKee/MSH

MSH and USAID Co-Host Celebration of Inclusive Health Access Prize Winners

On September 24, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and MSH recognized the five winners of USAID’s Inclusive Health Access Prize [35]: GIC Med, Infiuss, JokkoSanté, mDoc, and the Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute. These private-sector organizations have developed and proven innovative solutions to expand access to lifesaving basic health care in low- and middle-income countries while demonstrating a vision for expanding their approach.

“Locally Leading the Way to UHC: USAID’s Inclusive Health Access Prize,” attended by nearly 200 people in person and online, was held in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly’s first-ever High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Read more [34]
August 07, 2019
comments [36]

Saving Lives at Birth Starts with Quality Care, Everywhere [37]

Health Systems Strengthening [12]
Women & Gender [26]
Pablo Romo/MSH} [37]Iginia Badillo delivered her child at Huasca Health Center under the care of midwifery interns supported by the FCI program of MSH.Photo Credit: Pablo Romo/MSH

This story was originally published by Global Health NOW [39]

After decades of effort by the global health community and governments, more women are giving birth in health facilities than ever, and maternal and newborn mortality have declined since 1990 [40].

But global and country-level averages hide a tragic, more complex story: Even in countries where 80% of births [41] take place in health facilities or are attended by skilled health workers, maternal mortality often remains high.

Many of these deaths could be prevented. In the 81 countries with the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates, well-functioning health systems would prevent 520,000 stillbirths, and save the lives of 670,000 babies and 86,000 women by 2020—even at current rates of access to maternal and newborn health services, according to the November 2018 report from The Lancet Global Health Commission for High-Quality Health Systems [41].

Read more [37]
July 10, 2019
comments [42]

Leading Voices: Megan Montgomery [43]

Health Systems Strengthening [12]
HIV & AIDS [4]
[43]Pfizer Global Health Fellow, Megan Montgomery, and Peter Mmbago, Human Resources for Health Advisor for TSSP, interview a health care provider in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

Meet Megan Montgomery, one of two impressive Pfizer Global Health Fellows currently working with MSH in Tanzania. This international corporate volunteer program places Pfizer colleagues in short-term fellowships with international development organizations. Megan is lending her skills and expertise in marketing and business strategy to MSH’s Technical Support Services Project (TSSP) in Tanzania, which provides assistance to the Ministry of Health in key technical areas to help control the HIV epidemic and sustain HIV-related health systems and services. 

How are you supporting the TSSP project in Tanzania?

My main focus while here is partnering with the team to strengthen the health system in Tanzania through human resources for health (HRH) activities, such as the implementation of task-sharing initiatives, recruitment, retention and productivity management, as well as developing communication pieces to share the work being accomplished.  

Can you explain what task sharing for HIV services looks like in this context? 

Read more [43]

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Source URL: https://www.msh.org/blog-page?page=4

Links
[1] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/11/15/accelerating-hiv-epidemic-control-in-angola-a-sustainable-model-for-comprehensive#comments
[2] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/11/15/accelerating-hiv-epidemic-control-in-angola-a-sustainable-model-for-comprehensive
[3] https://www.msh.org/users/laura-hanson
[4] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/hiv-aids
[5] https://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/angola
[6] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/11/13/how-an-hiv-program-in-angola-went-online-against-all-odds#comments
[7] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/11/13/how-an-hiv-program-in-angola-went-online-against-all-odds
[8] https://linkagesproject.wordpress.com/2019/11/12/how-an-hiv-program-in-angola-went-online-against-all-odds/
[9] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/28/how-to-outsmart-superbugs-we-know-what-to-do-but-must-get-better-at-applying-what-we#comments
[10] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/28/how-to-outsmart-superbugs-we-know-what-to-do-but-must-get-better-at-applying-what-we
[11] https://www.msh.org/users/javier-guzman
[12] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/health-systems-strengthening
[13] https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/how-to-outsmart-superbugs/
[14] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/28/leading-voices-daniel-gemechu#comments
[15] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/28/leading-voices-daniel-gemechu
[16] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/17/fragile-states-need-private-sector-allies#comments
[17] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/17/fragile-states-need-private-sector-allies
[18] https://www.msh.org/users/marian-w-wentworth
[19] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/fragile-states
[20] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/universal-health-coverage
[21] https://www.globalhealthnow.org/2019-10/fragile-states-need-private-sector-allies
[22] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/17/addressing-gender-inequality-through-nutrition-lessons-from-malawi#comments
[23] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/17/addressing-gender-inequality-through-nutrition-lessons-from-malawi
[24] https://www.msh.org/users/katherine-wright
[25] https://www.msh.org/users/cara-endyke-doran
[26] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/women-gender
[27] https://deliverforgood.org/addressing-gender-inequality-through-nutrition-lessons-from-malawi/
[28] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/07/making-the-case-for-investing-in-community-health-workers#comments
[29] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/07/making-the-case-for-investing-in-community-health-workers
[30] https://www.msh.org/users/colin-gilmartin
[31] https://www.globalhealthnow.org/2017-08/community-health-workers-priority-universal-health-coverage
[32] https://www.msh.org/resources/community-health-planning-and-costing-tool
[33] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/03/what-does-scalable-innovation-in-global-health-look-like#comments
[34] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/10/03/what-does-scalable-innovation-in-global-health-look-like
[35] https://competitions4dev.org/healthaccessprize
[36] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/08/07/saving-lives-at-birth-starts-with-quality-care-everywhere#comments
[37] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/08/07/saving-lives-at-birth-starts-with-quality-care-everywhere
[38] https://www.msh.org/users/jacob-hughes
[39] https://www.globalhealthnow.org/2019-07/saving-lives-birth-starts-quality-care-everywhere
[40] https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/maternal-mortality/
[41] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(18)30386-3/fulltext
[42] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/07/10/leading-voices-megan-montgomery#comments
[43] https://www.msh.org/blog/2019/07/10/leading-voices-megan-montgomery
[44] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo
[45] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo?page=3
[46] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo?page=1
[47] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo?page=2
[48] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo?page=5
[49] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo?page=6
[50] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo?page=7
[51] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo?page=8
[52] https://www.msh.org/blog-page/www.globalhealth.gov/initiatives/bit.ly/bit.ly/SIAPSpneumo?page=92