scholarly journals The Potential Role of Community Actors in The Response Against COVID-19: Lessons From Three African Countries, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Mumba Zulu ◽  
Chama Mulubwa ◽  
Nathanael Sirili ◽  
Adam Silumbwe ◽  
Malizgani Paul Chavula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Systems ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Early Response ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Community Health Systems ◽  
Made In

Abstract Objective With the spread of COVID-19 to most low-and middle- income countries, global concerns arise on how to respond to the pandemic. We seek to highlight the early response to COVID-19 of Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia and draw lessons on how community actors could be engaged in the global efforts to prevent its spread and resurgence. This is envisioned to guide COVID-19 prevention efforts as well as implementation of interventions, especially in areas with relaxed, no or partial lockdown measures. ResultsCommunity actors can be useful in the promotion of behavioural change including consistent use of face masks, handwashing, social distancing, as well as act as whistle-blowers who identify new residents, report suspected COVID-19 cases and those breaking self-quarantine directives. Furthermore, community actors can encourage adherence to government directives on COVID-19 prevention through integrating COVID-19 information into their routine services. Countries across the globe have the opportunity to tap into the potential role of community actors, especially as we move towards more inclusive health systems. Increased involvement of community health systems is vital in sustaining the gains that have been made in areas where COVID-19 cases have reduced.

scholarly journals How Is Morocco Reacting to COVID-19 Crisis in Anticancer Centers?

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 107327482094197
Author(s):  
Karima Oualla ◽  
Lamiae Nouiakh ◽  
Nisrine Acharfi ◽  
lamiae Amaadour ◽  
Zineb Benbrahim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Systems ◽  
Invasive Ventilation ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Specific Therapy ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Cancer Centers ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
And Control ◽  
Real Challenge

The world is facing the pandemic linked to COVID-19 virus infection that has rapidly spread worldwide, and severe complications have been reported to occur in around a third of patients. To date, there is no approved vaccine or specific therapy against COVID-19, but many trials are ongoing with some of them showing promising results. It has been shown recently that patients with cancer are at high risk of infection and they are more susceptible to develop severe events such as the necessity of invasive ventilation and death. Therefore, this crisis presents a real challenge for health systems especially in low- and middle-income countries where the health systems are already fragile such as African countries. In this article, we describe the epidemiological situation of the infection in Morocco and the different challenges in cancer centers in the era of COVID-19, in addition to various strategies that have been implemented to prevent and control the infection spread in oncological units in order to ensure the continuation of adequate cancer care.

scholarly journals Migrant Remittances and Economic Growth: The Role of Financial Efficiency

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-59
Author(s):  
Ningaye Paul ◽  
Abba Yadou Barnabé ◽  
Balla Mekongo Célestin Ghislain
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Financial Efficiency ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Migrant Remittances ◽  
Long Term Impact

The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between migrant remittances and economic growth by considering the role of financial efficiency in 34 African countries from 1995 to 2016. The methodology is based on a GMM system model and a Pooled Mean Group (PMG) on a sample of 34 African countries. The empirical results show us the following conclusions: (i) Migrant remittances and financial efficiency have a positive impact on economic growth. (ii) The interaction between remittances and financial efficiency has a negative impact on economic growth. (iii) Migrant remittances have a long-term impact on economic growth. (iv) The combined effect of migrant remittances and financial efficiency has a negative impact on economic growth. Moreover, this impact is more pronounced in low-and middle-income countries. To better benefit from migrant remittances, recipient countries need to focus on financial development.

scholarly journals The Health Systems of Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Public Health ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Mills
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Political Science ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

“Health system” is a term generally considered to be relatively recent. It is defined as all organizations, institutions, and resources that produce actions whose primary purpose is to improve health, whether these be targeted at individuals (such as health-care delivery) or populations (such as public health measures). Health-care and public health institutions have a long history, but the notion of an organized “health system” is a relatively recent development (dating from the mid-20th century). In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), Western medicine was often introduced by former colonial authorities through the construction of public hospitals, health centers, and training schools, with church authorities also making a major contribution. As in high-income countries, there was a gradual process over the latter half 20th century to construct an organized and coordinated national health system. However, health systems became a key focus of international attention only in the late 1990s, when it became apparent that achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (e.g., reduction of child and maternal mortality; control of HIV, TB, and malaria) was threatened less by the availability of technical solutions and more by the ability of health systems to put them into practice. More recently, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa highlighted the critical importance of health systems in ensuring health security. In response to the increased awareness of the role of health systems, significant attention has been paid to defining the health system and its goals, categorizing its elements, assessing problems and testing solutions, and seeking to identify the relationship between different health system configurations and overall performance. Over time, specific issues within the general area of health systems have received special attention, including achieving universal health coverage (where the whole population of a country has access to health care and protection against its costs), the role of primary health care, the relative merits of different ways of financing a health system, the relative roles of public and private health sectors, and the appropriate mix of different types of health worker. Many disciplines can contribute to improved understanding of health systems, including economics, sociology, anthropology, history, political science, and management science. Until recently, the discipline of economics has tended to dominate the study of health systems. However, with the emergence of health policy and systems research as an important area of study, other disciplines have been making growing contributions, especially political science and the behavioral sciences concerned with the behavior of both individuals and organizations.

scholarly journals Governance Roles and Capacities of Ministries of Health: A Multidimensional Framework

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kabir Sheikh ◽  
Veena Sriram ◽  
Benjamin Rouffy ◽  
Benjamin Lane ◽  
Agnes Soucat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Governance Roles

The lack of capacity for governance of Ministries of Health (MoHs) is frequently advanced as an explanation for health systems failures in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). But do we understand what governance capacities MoHs should have? Existing frameworks have not fully captured the dynamic and contextually determined role of MoHs, and there are few frameworks that specifically define capacities for governance. We propose a multidimensional framework of capacities for governance by MoHs that encompasses both the "hard" (de jure, explicit and functional) and "soft" (de facto, tacit, and relational) dimensions of governance, and reflects the diversification of their mandates in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Four case studies illustrate different aspects of the framework. We hope that the framework will have multiple potential benefits including benchmarking MoH governance capacities, identifying and helping analyze capacity gaps, and guiding strategies to strengthen capacity.

Depression in the Developing World

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Minas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Development ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Health And Social Services ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Culturally Informed ◽  
Global Understanding

This chapter provides an overview of what is known about prevalence, social determinants, treatment, and course and impact of depression in developing, or low- and middle-income, countries. The importance of culture in depression and in the construction and application of diagnostic classifications and in health and social services is highlighted, with a particular focus on the applicability of ‘Western’ diagnostic constructs and service systems in developing country settings. The role of international organizations, such as WHO, and international development programs, such as the SDGs, in improving our understanding of depression and in developing effective and culturally appropriate responses is briefly examined. There is both a need and increasing opportunities in developing countries for greater commitment to mental health of populations, increased investment in mental health and social services, and culturally informed research that will contribute to improved global understanding of mental disorders in general and depression in particular.

Health research capacity in Nepal: Analysis of the trend and the role of local researchers

2021 ◽  
pp. 004947552098277
Author(s):  
Madhu Kharel ◽  
Alpha Pokharel ◽  
Krishna P Sapkota ◽  
Prasant V Shahi ◽  
Pratisha Shakya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Evidence-based decision-making is less common in low- and middle-income countries where the research capacity remains low. Nepal, a lower-middle-income country in Asia, is not an exception. We conducted a rapid review to identify the trend of health research in Nepal and found more than seven-fold increase in the number of published health-related articles between 2000 and 2018. The proportion of articles with Nepalese researchers as the first authors has also risen over the years, though they are still only in two-thirds of the articles in 2018.

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