scholarly journals Early Warnings: The Lessons of COVID-19 for Public Health Climate Preparedness

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary C. Sheehan ◽  
Mary A. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Economic Cost ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Systems ◽  
Pandemic Response ◽  
Organization Policy ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health Systems Governance ◽  
Early Warnings

The early 2020 response to COVID-19 revealed major gaps in public health systems around the world as many were overwhelmed by a quickly-spreading new coronavirus. While the critical task at hand is turning the tide on COVID-19, this pandemic serves as a clarion call to governments and citizens alike to ensure public health systems are better prepared to meet the emergencies of the future, many of which will be climate-related. Learning from the successes as well as the failures of the pandemic response provides some guidance. We apply several recommendations of a recent World Health Organization Policy Brief on COVID-19 response to 5 key areas of public health systems – governance, information, services, determinants, and capacity – to suggest early lessons from the coronavirus pandemic for climate change preparedness. COVID-19 has demonstrated how essential public health is to well-functioning human societies and how high the economic cost of an unprepared health system can be. This pandemic provides valuable early warnings, with lessons for building public health resilience.

scholarly journals Civic programmatic participation in public health: the case of Argentina

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (suppl 2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tulia G. Falleti ◽  
Santiago L. Cunial
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
National Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Systems ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract: Since the Alma Ata World Health Organization Conference in 1978, countries around the world have adopted institutions that promote the participation of citizens in their public health systems. The main objectives of this article are two-fold. First, we describe the origins and implementation of a national-level civic participatory program that was in place in Argentina in the mid-2000s: the Local Participatory Projects (Proyectos Locales Participativos). Second, we analyze the 201 local participatory projects that were carried out in Argentina between 2007 and 2008. We study health and environmental problems that prompt people’s participation in the program and the social dynamics through which such participation is executed.

scholarly journals A qualitative assessment of factors influencing implementation and sustainability of evidence-based tobacco use treatment in Vietnam health centers

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy VanDevanter ◽  
Milkie Vu ◽  
Ann Nguyen ◽  
Trang Nguyen ◽  
Hoang Van Minh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Implementation Strategy ◽  
Local Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Public Health Systems ◽  
Factors Influencing

Abstract Background Effective strategies are needed to increase implementation and sustainability of evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment (TDT) in public health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial (VQuit) found that a multicomponent implementation strategy was effective in increasing provider adherence to TDT guidelines in commune health center (CHCs) in Vietnam. In this paper, we present findings from a post-implementation qualitative assessment of factors influencing effective implementation and program sustainability. Methods We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 52) with 13 CHC medical directors (i.e., physicians), 25 CHC health care providers (e.g., nurses), and 14 village health workers (VHWs) in 13 study sites. Interviews were transcribed and translated into English. Two qualitative researchers used both deductive (guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research) and inductive approaches to analysis. Results Facilitators of effective implementing of TDT included training and point-of-service tools (e.g., desktop chart with prompts for offering brief counseling) that increased knowledge and self-efficacy, patient demand for TDT, and a referral system, available in arm 2, which reduced the provider burden by shifting more intensive cessation counseling to a trained VHW. The primary challenges to sustainability were competing priorities that are driven by the Ministry of Health and may result in fewer resources for TDT compared with other health programs. However, providers and VHWs suggested several options for adapting the intervention and implementation strategies to address challenges and increasing engagement of local government committees and other sectors to sustain gains. Conclusion Our findings offer insights into how a multicomponent implementation strategy influenced changes in the delivery of evidence-based TDT. In addition, the results illustrate the dynamic interplay between barriers and facilitators for sustaining TDT at the policy and community/practice level, particularly in the context of centralized public health systems like Vietnam’s. Sustaining gains in practice improvement and clinical outcomes will require strategies that include ongoing engagement with policymakers and other stakeholders at the national and local level, and planning for adaptations and subsequent resource allocations in order to meet the World Health Organization’s goals promoting access to effective treatment for all tobacco users. Trial registration NCT02564653, registered September 2015

Health Systems Stewardship, Governance, and Accountability: Issues of Public Health Ethics

2019 ◽  
pp. 114-126
Author(s):  
Michael J. DiStefano ◽  
Jennifer Prah Ruger
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Public Health Ethics ◽  
World Health ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Health Ethics ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Policy And Practice ◽  
Health Organization

This chapter argues that stewardship ought to be conceived as a particular form of governance that is the role of both governments and intergovernmental and extragovernmental bodies to carry out. Stewardship as ethically conscientious governance is grounded in an explicit normative commitment to the promotion of justice, including both consequentialist and deontological claims, as part of public health policy and practice. The justification of trade-offs and resolution of tensions among various objectives requires robust accountability mechanisms tied to ethical questions about defining the public good. This chapter describes a range of accountability mechanisms that can function for a variety of governmental and nongovernmental actors. It then explores issues of public health ethics regarding the ways in which specific health systems stewards—including states, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO)—are held accountable.

Tobacco Control Advocacy in Australia: Reflections on 30 Years of Progress

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Chapman ◽  
Melanie Wakefield
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Political Support ◽  
World Health ◽  
Media Advocacy ◽  
Program Support ◽  
Organization Policy ◽  
Health Organization

Australia has one of the world’s most successful records on tobacco control. The role of public health advocacy in securing public and political support for tobacco control legislation and policy and program support is widely acknowledged and enshrined in World Health Organization policy documents yet is seldom the subject of analysis in the public health policy research literature. Australian public health advocates tend to not work in settings where evaluation and systematic planning are valued. However, their day-to-day strategies reveal considerable method and grounding in framing theory. The nature of media advocacy is explored, with differences between the conceptualization of routine “programmatic” public health interventions and the modus operandi of media advocacy highlighted. Two case studies on securing smoke-free indoor air and banning all tobacco advertising are used to illustrate advocacy strategies that have been used in Australia. Finally, the argument that advocacy should emanate from communities and be driven by them is considered.

scholarly journals The Anticipated Future of Public Health Services Post COVID-19: Viewpoint (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haitham Bashier ◽  
Aamer Ikram ◽  
Mumtaz Ali Khan ◽  
Mirza Baig ◽  
Magid Al Gunaid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected various public health functions and essential services in different ways and magnitudes. Although all countries have witnessed the effect of COVID-19, the impact differed based on many factors including the integrity and resiliency of the countries’ health systems. This paper presents opinions and expectations of the authors about the anticipated changes in the future of public health at the global, regional, and national levels. The viewpoint is based on the current efforts and challenges that various stakeholders have carried out to control COVID-19 and the contribution from the literature on the future of public health. Numerous agencies and actors are involved in the fight against COVID-19 with variations in their effectiveness. The public health services showed weaknesses in most of the countries, in addition to the lack of adequate curative medicine settings. The pandemic highlighted the need for better governance and stronger and more resilient health systems and capacities. The COVID-19 experience has also emphasized the importance of coordination and collaboration among the countries and stakeholders. The COVID-19 pandemic might lead to a wide discussion to improve international and national approaches to prepare for and respond to similar events in terms of preparedness and response mechanisms and tools. Public health will not be the same as before COVID-19. New health priorities, approaches, and new agendas will be on the table of the global platforms and initiatives. More investment in research and technology to meet the demand for new vaccines and medicines, innovative methods like distance learning and working, more respect and remuneration to health professionals, and normalization of the public health and social measures that were induced during the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to be seen in future.

scholarly journals Emergency Law Responses to Covid-19 and the Impact on Peace and Transition Processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Molloy
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Transition Processes ◽  
Public Health Systems ◽  
The World ◽  
Legal Accountability ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020. This global health crisis demanded a quick, decisive and efficient response by governments to protect lives, curb the spread of the virus and prevent public health systems from being overwhelmed. This report explores the way governments undergoing transitions to peace and democracy have triggered emergency legal frameworks to disable some ordinary (democratic) procedures and set aside standard political and legal accountability mechanisms as part of their Covid-19 response. It also provides information about where elections have been postponed or cancelled, and central governments have assumed enhanced responsibilities, which have often included powers otherwise designated to local or regional governments. While the impacts of both the pandemic and the responses to the contagion have been felt globally, they often have quite different consequences in countries attempting peace and democratic transition processes.

The politics of bird flu

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa MacPhail
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
World Health ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Bird Flu ◽  
Public Health Systems ◽  
Global Institutions ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Influenza Outbreaks

Avian influenza outbreaks in Southeast Asia have focused an intense global spotlight on the entire region, specifically on China’s role in an adequate global health network which would be able to prevent or to contain a severe outbreak of the disease. Highly-publicized and politically-charged battles over samples of the H5N1 virus, transparency, timely case reporting, and China’s contribution to and cooperation with global institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO), have all emphasized the mounting political positioning of public health prevention measures. The language surrounding viral samples of avian influenza highlights the increasingly overlapping worlds of politics and public health. In an age of popularized discourses about national biosecurities, risk, and the growing threat of globalized, contagious disease, bird flu has been recast as a focal point of contention, a figurative space where the stakes are high — both for public health systems and the political structures which support them.

Should Public Health and Policy Communities Interact With the Food Industry? It Depends on Context Comment on "Towards Preventing and Managing Conflict of Interest in Nutrition Policy? An Analysis of Submissions to a Consultation on a Draft WHO Tool"

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Cullerton ◽  
Jean Adams ◽  
Martin White
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Nutrition Policy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Intractable Problem ◽  
Policy Communities

The issue of public health and policy communities engaging with food sector companies has long caused tension and debate. Ralston and colleagues’ article ‘Towards Preventing and Managing Conflict of Interest in Nutrition Policy? An Analysis of Submissions to a Consultation on a Draft WHO Tool’ further examines this issue. They found widespread food industry opposition, not just to the details of the World Health Organization (WHO) tool, but to the very idea of it. In this commentary we reflect on this finding and the arguments for and against interacting with the food industry during different stages of the policy process. While involving the food industry in certain aspects of the policy process without favouring their business goals may seem like an intractable problem, we believe there are opportunities for progress that do not compromise our values as public health professionals. We suggest three key steps to making progress.

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