Exploring community support on safe motherhood: A case of Lilongwe District, Malawi

Background: Malawi is grappling with a high maternal mortality of 439 per 100 000 live births. It is estimated that 80% of maternal deaths can be prevented by actively engaging the community in the country. However, community support on safe motherhood remains unknown.Aim: This study, therefore, explored community support rendered to mothers and babies during antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods.Setting: This study was conducted in the Lilongwe District, Malawi.Methods: This was a qualitative study that collected data from 30 village health committee members through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Data were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: This study found that community support on safe motherhood rendered to women varied. The following five themes emerged from FGDs data on community support on safe motherhood: antenatal support, intrapartum support, postpartum support, bylaws reinforced by chiefs in the community and safe motherhood support groups. Community members encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal care, escorted pregnant women to the hospital for delivery and assisted women to care for a child and go for postpartum checkups. Community bylaws were considered as a necessary tool for encouraging women to attend antenatal care, deliver at the health facility and attend postpartum checkups.Conclusion: This study suggests that community members play a crucial role in providing support to women and newborns during antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods.

Stanowisko Komitetu Zdrowia Publicznego Polskiej Akademii Nauk w sprawie szczepień przeciw COVID-19

The Resolution of Public Health Committee Polish Academy of Science on Vaccination against COVID-19 Public health community worldwide encouraged by successes of former campaigns have always accepted vaccination as the most effective way to handle infectious diseases pandemics. Even before the outburst of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in many countries mandatory vaccination against many diseases, especially child related had been implemented. From among 193 countries under study in as many as 105 (54%) such obligation existed and in 62 of them (59%) at least one form of punishment or harm for those opposing was involved. Following this sort of available solutions and facing COVID-19 pandemic disaster the authors on behalf of the Public Health Committee of the Polish Academy of Science recommend to the government implementation od mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for all workers in sectors of health care, education and welfare.

Effective and meaningful participation or limited participation? A study of South African health committee legislation

Background: Health committees are participatory structures providing community input in health systems. Community participation is a critical tenant in the Alma-Ata Declaration and the Right to Health. In South Africa, national and provincial legislation provides for health committees to be established at all primary health care facilities. Aims: This paper aims to analyze whether the Western Cape Health Facility Boards and Committees Act (2016) is likely to result in effective and meaningful participation consistent with a Primary Health Care (PHC) and human rights approach to participation. The paper also explores whether the provincial Act addresses challenges identified in practice. Methods: The methods consist of an analysis of the Western Cape Health Facility Boards and Committees Act, which is then compared to the international PHC and human rights approach to participation. Findings from an explorative mixed-methods study with health committees in Cape Town are used to discuss whether the Act addresses shortcomings identified in practised participation. Findings and analysis: The paper found that the current legislation is unlikely to lead to effective and meaningful participation. First, the roles prescribed in the Act are narrowly defined. They resemble roles practised and are inconsistent with right-based and PHC frameworks. Second, though the Act provides support, which the empirical research demonstrates is necessary, the support is insufficient, and often contingent. Third, the Act conceptualizes health committees as structures appointed by the Provincial Minister of Health; a formation process likely to lead to structures that do not adequately represent community interests. Conclusions: The paper argues that the Western Cape legislation is unlikely to lead to effective and meaningful participation. It suggests using international PHC and human rights frameworks and national policy documents to restructure health committee participation in the Act and the National Health Insurance Bill.

The role of community participation in primary health care: practices of South African health committees

Background: Community participation is an essential component in a primary health care (PHC) and a human rights approach to health. In South Africa, community participation in PHC is organised through health committees linked to all clinics. Aims: This paper analyses health committees’ roles, their degree of influence in decision-making and factors impacting their participation. Methods: Data were collected through a mixed-methods study consisting of a cross-sectional survey, focus groups, interviews and observations. The findings from the survey were analysed using simple descriptive statistics. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Data on health committees’ roles were analysed according to a conceptual framework adapted from the Arnstein ladder of participation to measure the degree of participation. Findings: The study found that 55 per cent of clinics in Cape Town were linked to a health committee. The existing health committees faced sustainability and functionality challenges and primarily practised a form of limited participation. Their decision-making influence was curtailed, and they mainly functioned as a voluntary workforce assisting clinics with health promotion talks and day-to-day operational tasks. Several factors impacted health committee participation, including lack of clarity on health committees’ roles, health committee members’ skills, attitudes of facility managers and ward councillors, limited resources and support and lack of recognition. Conclusions: To create meaningful participation, health committee roles should be defined in accordance with a PHC and human rights framework. Their primary role should be to function as health governance structures at facility level, but they should also have access to influence policy development. Consideration should be given to their potential involvement in addressing social determinants of health. Effective participation requires an enabling environment, including support, financial resources and training.

Deaf mental health: enhancing literacy through a hearing and deaf community collaboration

This article explores the process through which findings of a doctoral study became the impetus for the development of a Deaf Mental Health Committee and two community-based events intended to enhance the mental health literacy of the Deaf community in a large metropolitan city in central Canada. The author, a hearing professional and University professor has provided professional counselling services to clients including those who are Deaf and hard of hearing, and conducted a number of studies in and with the Deaf community. Her doctoral study reported on the experience and narratives of a sample of Deaf adults diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Participant narratives highlighted gaps in understanding of mental health and mental illness. A goal of enhancing mental health literacy in the Deaf community developed into the establishment of a Deaf Mental Health Committee. This article presents the successes of that Deaf and hearing collaboration.

Insights into the Positive Role of a Higher Education Institution in the Prevention of Misinformation During Pandemics: The Health Committee Model During COVID-19

: In Lebanon, with COVID-19 cases escalating and national efforts exhausted in the containment of the pandemic, calls were made for increased awareness, scientific literacy, and the debunking of false information. This article sheds the light on the positive role that a private University can play in spreading scientifically-authenticated, health-related, awareness through the community. The Lebanese International University (LIU) has 9 campuses distributed across all Lebanese Governorates with an extensive communications platform that takes advantage of LIU’s website, University Management System, several Facebook pages with thousands of followers, and many WhatsApp groups. LIU has over 34,000 undergraduate and graduate students, in addition to a little over a thousand faculty and staff members. The University capitalized on this extensive network to play a positive role in delivering authenticated health-related information to the University’s greater community. A health committee, comprised of multidisciplinary educators mostly from the field of medicine and health sciences, was established to act as a health advisory panel to the University Council and to raise awareness among the University’s larger community. An extensive health awareness campaign was launched through activities and the sharing of material of different formats aimed at providing accurate information on infection prevention, and disseminating authentic and accurate healthrelated guidelines and recommendations during the pandemic. This compendium aims to summarize the role of the health committee in meeting the various challenges created by the emergence of COVID-19 in our community, and highlights its influence and future perspectives.

The DSM-5 Clinical and Public Health Committee (CPHC): operations, mechanics, controversies and recommendations

Background For DSM – 5, the American Psychiatric Association Board of Trustees established a robust vetting and review process that included two review committees that did not exist in the development of prior DSMs, the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) and the Clinical and Public Health Committee (CPHC). The CPHC was created as a body that could independently review the clinical and public health merits of various proposals that would fall outside of the strictly defined scientific process. Methods This article describes the principles and issues which led to the creation of the CPHC, the composition and vetting of the committee, and the processes developed by the committee – including the use of external reviewers. Results Outcomes of some of the more involved CPHC deliberations, specifically, decisions concerning elements of diagnoses for major depressive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, catatonia, and substance use disorders, are described. The Committee's extensive reviews and its recommendations regarding Personality Disorders are also discussed. Conclusions On the basis of our experiences, the CPHC membership unanimously believes that external review processes to evaluate and respond to Work Group proposals is essential for future DSM efforts. The Committee also recommends that separate SRC and CPHC committees be appointed to assess proposals for scientific merit and for clinical and public health utility and impact.