scholarly journals Statement of consensus on Family Medicine in Africa

Author(s):  
Robert Mash ◽  
Steve Reid

Family Medicine is an emerging speciality in sub-Saharan Africa and yet potential interest in the contribution of Family Medicine to health, primary care and district health services is limited by the lack of a regional definition. Governments, health departments and academic institutions would benefit from a clearer understanding of Family Medicine in an African context.The 2nd African Regional WONCA (World Organisation of Family Doctors) Conference, held in Rustenberg, South Africa in October 2009, engaged participants from sub-Saharan Africa in the development of a consensus statement on Family Medicine. The consensus statement agreed to by the conference defined the contribution of Family Medicine to equity, quality and primary health care within an African context, as well as the role and training requirements of the family physician. Particular attention was given to the contribution of women in Family Medicine.

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAGNAR K. KINZELBACH

The secretarybird, the only species of the family Sagittariidae (Falconiformes), inhabits all of sub-Saharan Africa except the rain forests. Secretarybird, its vernacular name in many languages, may be derived from the Arabic “saqr at-tair”, “falcon of the hunt”, which found its way into French during the crusades. From the same period are two drawings of a “bistarda deserti” in a codex by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194–1250). The original sketch obviously, together with other information on birds, came from the court of Sultan al-Kâmil (1180–1238) in Cairo. Careful examination led to an interpretation as Sagittarius serpentarius. Two archaeological sources and one nineteenth century observation strengthened the idea of a former occurrence of the secretarybird in the Egyptian Nile valley. André Thevet (1502–1590), a French cleric and reliable research traveller, described and depicted in 1558 a strange bird, named “Pa” in Persian language, from what he called Madagascar. The woodcut is identified as Sagittarius serpentarius. The text reveals East Africa as the real home of this bird, associated there among others with elephants. From there raises a connection to the tales of the fabulous roc, which feeds its offspring with elephants, ending up in the vernacular name of the extinct Madagascar ostrich as elephantbird.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 938-941
Author(s):  
Оlexander Ye. Kononov ◽  
Liliana V. Klymenko ◽  
Ganna V. Batsiura ◽  
Larysa F. Matiukha ◽  
Olha V. Protsiuk ◽  
...  

Introduction: In today’s realities of health care reform in Ukraine family doctors play a leading role. The aim of our work was to analyze the medical cards of patients who applied for medical care to the family medicine clinic. Materials and methods: It was analyzed outpatient medical cards of 87 patients who applied to the family medicine clinic in the Khotov village, Kyiv region. The study included people aged 18 to 60 years, which corresponded to the groups of young and middle ages according to the WHO classification. Review: Our findings indicate the prevalence of functional changes among young people: somatoform dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system - 9 (37,5%) and the development of organic manifestations at middle-aged patients: arterial hypertension - 32 (62,7%) and coronary artery disease - 17 (33,3%). Conclusions: This study is important for determining the risk groups, early diagnosis and prevention of diseases.


2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. MANNING ◽  
P. GOLDBLATT ◽  
M. F. FAY

A revised generic synopsis of sub-Saharan Hyacinthaceae is presented, based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the family. Generic rank is accorded only to reciprocally monophyletic clades that can be distinguished by recognizable morphological discontinuities, thereby permitting an appropriate generic assignment of species not included in the analysis. Three subfamilies are recognized within the region. Subfamily Ornithogaloideae, characterized by flattened or angular seeds with tightly adhering testa, is considered to include the single genus Ornithogalum, which is expanded to include the genera Albuca, Dipcadi, Galtonia, Neopatersonia and Pseudogaltonia. Recognizing any of these segregates at generic level renders the genus Ornithogalum polyphyletic, while subdivision of Ornithogalum into smaller, morphologically distinguishable segregates in order to preserve the monophyly of each is not possible. Subfamily Urgineoideae, characterized by flattened or winged seeds with brittle, loosely adhering testa, comprises the two mainland African genera Bowiea and Drimia. The latter is well circumscribed by its deciduous, short-lived perianth and includes the previously recognized genera Litanthus, Rhadamanthus, Schizobasis and Tenicroa. The monotypic Madagascan Igidia is provisionally included in the subfamily as a third genus on the basis of its seeds, pending molecular confirmation of its relationships. Subfamily Hyacinthoideae resolves into three clades, distinguished as tribes Hyacintheae (strictly northern hemisphere and not treated further), Massonieae and Pseudoprospereae tribus nov. Full descriptions and a key to their identification are provided for all genera. New combinations reflecting the generic circumscriptions adopted here are made for most African and all Indian and Madagascan species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Esezobor ◽  
Adebowale D. Ademola ◽  
Adewale E. Adetunji ◽  
Emmanuel A. Anigilaje ◽  
Anthony Batte ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Comfort Mshelia ◽  
Gillian Lê ◽  
Tolib Mirzoev ◽  
Samuel Amon ◽  
Ambrose Kessy ◽  
...  

Action research (AR) can be an effective form of ‘on the job’ training. However, it is critical that AR cycles can be appropriately recorded in order to contribute to reflection and learning. One form of recording is for coresearchers to keep a diary. We found no previous literature describing the use of diaries in AR in sub-Saharan Africa. We therefore use this paper to reflect on how diaries were used by district health management teams in the PERFORM project. We share five lessons from our experience. First, it is important to foster ownership of the diary by the people who are responsible for filling it in. Second, the purpose of keeping a diary needs to be clear and shared between researchers and practitioners from the very beginning. Third, diaries should be allowed to evolve. Fourth, it is a challenge for busy practitioners to record the reflection and learning processes that they go through. Last, diaries on their own are not sufficient to capture reflection and learning. In conclusion, there is no best way for practitioners to keep a diary; rather the focus should be on ensuring that an AR recording process (whether diary or otherwise) is locally owned and complements the specific practice setting.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
James B Abugre

The purpose of this article was to investigate the concept of time and its management in relation to productivity. Consequently, this work employed phenomenological psychology to unearth the experiences of employees on the concept of time management and its impact on productivity using Ghana as a study. Participants involved both local and expatriate workers sharing their experiences on the subject matter in a conversational style. Results indicated that clock time is considered a flexible resource in both social and professional settings. Findings also revealed that time management drives productivity, and its orientation is consequential to the cultural behaviors of local employees in both public and private organizations based on the quality of their corporate cultures. Hence, rigid timelines can turn around public organizations in sub-Saharan Africa and the world as a whole.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Hoedebecke ◽  
Joseph Scott-Jones ◽  
Luís Pinho-Costa

Abstract The international ‘#1WordforFamilyMedicine’ initiative explores the identity of General Practitioners (GPs) and Family Physicians (FPs) by allowing the international Family Medicine community to collaborate on advocating for the discipline via social media. The New Zealand version attracted 83 responses on social media. Thematic analysis was performed on the responses and a ‘word cloud’ image was created based on an image identifying the country around the world - that of the silver fern. The ‘#1WorldforFamilyMedicine’ project was promoted by WONCA (World Organisation of Family Doctors) globally to help celebrate World Family Doctor Day on 19 May 2015. To date, over 80 images have been created in 60 different countries on six continents. The images represent GPs’ love for their profession and the community they serve. We hope that this initiative will help inspire current and future Family Medicine and Primary Care providers.


Author(s):  
Nic Cheeseman

Politics in Africa is becoming increasingly contested. This is true both in terms of electoral politics, with the margin of victory of ruling parties falling in many countries, and in terms of the capacity of citizens to access diverse sources of information with which to hold their governments to account. In turn, the continent’s more authoritarian political leaders—particularly those in resource-rich states insulated from international pressure to reform—have responded by employing new strategies to manipulate elections and restrict the flow of information. Taken together, these two trends help to explain why parts of sub-Saharan Africa has experienced democratic stagnation, and why so many recent elections have been controversial and, in a number of high-profile cases, violent. It is therefore more important than ever to understand how to design democratic constitutions in a way that manages the centrifugal forces that electoral competition can generate. This chapter discusses two strategies for achieving this goal: integration (the promotion of a single unified national identity through more centralized institutions), and accommodation (the recognition of subnational group identities through their formal inclusion in the political system). Although Alan Kuperman has recently made a strong case in favour of integration, this chapter comes to a different conclusion. While recognizing the risk that rapid institutional change will destabilize fragile political systems, I argue that we have good reason to encourage more inclusive political systems and so need to give greater thought to how they can be safely introduced.


Author(s):  
Innocent K. Besigye ◽  
Jane F. Namatovu

It is evident that politicians, health managers and academics are realising the potential contribution of Family Medicine to health systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The challenge is in training institutions to recruit and train enough Family Physicians in order to meet expectations. The 3rd Family Medicine Conference in Uganda, held in October 2013, explored innovative ways of scaling up Family Medicine training and practice in Uganda.


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