Global flows

2019 ◽  
pp. 192-219
Author(s):  
Ronald Labonté ◽  
Arne Ruckert
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Skilled Labour ◽  
Private Investments ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
Health Worker Migration ◽  
High Disease Burden

Health systems rely upon two groups of people: health workers and patients. In recent decades both groups have been on the move globally, with the creation of internationalized labour market opportunities (the hunt for skilled labour in the case of health workers) and private investments in high-end health care on lower-cost developing countries (one of the key incentives for patients seeking care outside of their own country, for uninsured or under-insured services). Both flows raise a number of health equity concerns. Health worker migration can pose undue hardships on low-resource, high-disease burden countries who lose their workers to richer nations, creating a ‘perverse subsidy’ of poor to rich. With medical tourism, private, fee-paying foreign patients in poorer countries could ‘crowd out’ access to care for domestic patients in those countries, while potentially returning with drug resistant infections or complications burdening their home country’s health systems.

Childhood Mental Disorders in Primary Health Care: Results of Observations in Four Developing Countries

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 677-683
Author(s):  
R. Giel ◽  
M. V. de Arango ◽  
C. E. Climent ◽  
T. W. Harding ◽  
H. H. A. Ibrahim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Research Procedure ◽  
Primary Health Care Facilities

To ascertain the frequency of mental disorders in Sudan, Philippines, India, and Colombia, 925 children attending primary health care facilities were studied. Rates of between 12% and 29% were found in the four study areas. The range of mental disorders diagnosed was similar to that encountered in industrialized countries. The research procedure involved a two-stage screening in which a ten-item "reporting questionnaire" constituted the first stage. The study has shown that mental disorders are common among children attending primary health care facilities in four developing countries and that accompanying adults (usually the mothers) readily recognize and report common psychologic and behavioral symptoms when these are solicited by means of a simple set of questions. Despite this, the primary health workers themselves recognized only between 10% and 22% of the cases of mental disorder. The results have been used to design appropriate brief training courses in childhood mental disorders for primary health workers in the countries participating in the study.

Psychiatric Priorities in Developing Countries

1976 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 513-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Giel ◽  
T. W. Harding
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health Action

SummaryMany psychiatrists assert that an expansion of mental health services in the developing countries is overdue. This will only take place if: (i) the tasks of mental health care are undertaken by a wide range of non-specialist health workers, including those responsible for primary health care; and (ii) services are directed initially at a very limited range of priority conditions. The method of priority selection is discussed, and the process required for translation of priority decisions into health action is exemplified by two illustrations.

The Doctor's Role in Rural Health Care

1976 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl E. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Rural Health Care ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Rural People ◽  
Health Team ◽  
Medical Careers ◽  
Routine Medical Care ◽  
Rural Services ◽  
Community Diagnosis

A new pattern of health care in developing countries promises to meet the needs of rural people and still provide reasonable gratification for health workers. The service must have mutually strengthening linkages between all levels of the health care system. Reallocating roles in the health team requires turning routine medical care over to auxiliaries so that professionals can concentrate on more complex problems, such as community diagnosis and therapy. Young doctors are reasonable and willing to undertake a rural rotation early in their medical careers. This will help to identify those few who will provide leadership in improving rural services.

Primary Health Care and Donor Dependency: A Case Study of Nongovernment Assistance in Burkina Faso

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Maclure
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Professional Status ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Nongovernment Organizations

Primary health care assistance has become prominent in the rural development programs of many nongovernment organizations throughout sub-Saharan Africa. By emphasizing education and the promotion of new participatory health systems, most such programs aim to enhance the conditions of women as principal community care givers. Yet village-level health assistance in Africa is not without shortcomings. This is exemplified in a case study of two nongovernment programs in Burkina Faso's Namentenga Province. Although both programs have contributed to maternal health and infant survival, they have also induced new ties of donor dependency. This appears to present a conundrum for the sponsoring agencies which espouse self-reliance as a development assistance goal. In fact, however, where the intervention of nongovernment organizations helps to improve rural health, new dimensions of dependency may prove to be a positive first stage in the mobilization of women and the development of locally managed health systems. For this to be so, much is contingent on the capacity of these organizations to integrate local participation in their own planning and management processes, and to augment the professional status of indigenous health workers.

scholarly journals Palliative Care in Brazil: A Challenge to the Health-Care System

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 117822420800200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciro Augusto Floriani
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Global Expansion ◽  
Hospice Movement ◽  
Care System

The global expansion of the modern hospice movement has been fast and impressive, and in developing countries this phenomenon has also been registered, despite the structural and operational difficulties of their health systems. This article will address the scenario of palliative and hospice care in Brazil, pointing to the challenges and difficulties for the implementation of this comprehensive programme within its health system.

scholarly journals Integration of community health workers into health systems in developing countries: Opportunities and challenges

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Collins Otieno Asweto ◽  
Mohamed Ali Alzain ◽  
Sebastian Andrea ◽  
Rachel Alexander ◽  
Wei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Workers

scholarly journals The Rising Burden of Diabetes-Related Blindness: A Case for Integration of Primary Eye Care into Primary Health Care in Eswatini

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 835
Author(s):  
Sharon Nobuntu Maseko ◽  
Diane van Staden ◽  
Euphemia Mbali Mhlongo
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Diabetes Prevalence ◽  
Undiagnosed Diabetes ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Primary Health

There is a rampant increase in diabetes prevalence globally. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is projected to carry the largest burden of diabetes (34.2 million) by 2030. This will inevitably cause a parallel increase in diabetes-associated complications; with the predominant complications being blindness due to diabetic retinopathy and diabetic cataracts. Eye programs in developing countries remain inadequate, existing as stand-alone programs, focused on the provision of acute symptomatic care at secondary and tertiary health levels. Over 60% of people with undiagnosed diabetes report to eye care facilities with already advanced retinopathy. While vision loss due to cataracts is reversible, loss of vision from diabetic retinopathy is irreversible. Developing countries have in the last two decades been significantly impacted by infectious pandemics; with SSA countries committing over 80% of their health budgets towards infectious diseases. Consequently, non-communicable diseases and eye health have been neglected. This paper aimed to highlight the importance of strengthening primary health care services to prevent diabetes-related blindness. In SSA, where economies are strained by infectious disease, the projected rise in diabetes prevalence calls for an urgent need to reorganize health systems to focus on life-long preventative and integrated measures. However, research is critical in determining how best to integrate these without further weakening health systems.

scholarly journals How to Set Up a Community Health Venture: Lessons from 10 Years in Kenya

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-86
Author(s):  
Irena Gorski ◽  
Joshua T Bram ◽  
Phoebe Canagarajah ◽  
Stephen Suffian ◽  
Khanjan Mehta
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Community Health Systems ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Set Up

Despite high potential, many community health ventures in developing countries fail to evolve beyond the pilot stage. A fundamental problem is that many ventures utilize community health workers (CHWs) as volunteers, but they leave to generate a living income for their families. After ten years of experience running a community health venture in East Africa, while observing other ventures come and go, several factors have emerged as essential for any venture to achieve success. This article presents a methodology to set up a community health venture where CHWs generate income from their work while improving health outcomes for members of their communities. The authors seek to provide individuals working to solve last-mile healthcare challenges with a practical guide for establishing community health systems and navigating the validation, networking, planning, launch, and execution phases. The goal for the ventures developed using this methodology is to operate in an economically sustainable way.

scholarly journals Medical Practice in the COVID-19 Crisis, an Unsafe Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Arianna Omaña-Covarrubias ◽  
Adrián Moya- Escalera ◽  
Maribel Pimentel Pérez ◽  
Oscar F. Ruiz-Vázquez
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
The World

The situation humanity is currently experiencing is an unforeseen event for which we were not prepared. Unquestionably, the health systems in the world collapsed along with the increase in positive cases of COVID-19. Medical personnel and members of other health care disciplines did not have the necessary training to carry out the necessary protection when dealing with infected patients, however, it was work that had to be done. The death of the first doctors was the turning point at which it was evident that high security measures were required, as well as sufficient training for them to continue their work. Despite the measures implemented, contagion remained a reality. Added to this, at least in our country, the response of the population, which in many cases has been negative, accompanied by attacks on staff, damage to infrastructure and violation of the fundamental rights of other patients. The objective of this article is to present the current situation and help to create awareness of the risk that doctors and other health workers experience in their day to day, since the beginning of this pandemic.

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