Browse by Geographic Focus

Maternal and Child Health in South Sudan: Priorities for the Post-2015 Agenda

This review of the literature offers a commentary and appraisal of the current MNCH [maternal, newborn and child health] situation in South Sudan. It explores the barriers and challenges of promoting MNCH gains, and identifies priorities that will contribute to addressing the Millennium Development Goals and the emerging health priorities for the post-2015 development agenda. [from abstract]

Training Process Towards Strengthening Service Delivery In Dagoretti Sub-County

Despite progress in developing more effective training methodologies, training initiatives for health workers continue to experience common pitfalls that have beset the overall success. To improve the quality of healthcare service, the shortage of healthcare workers must be addressed by giving quality training and education needed to fill the gap to increase the output of qualified healthcare workers. [from abstract]

Regional Strategy on Strengthening Health Workforce Education and Training in South - East Asia Region (2014 – 2019)

The Regional strategy on strengthening health workforce education and training in the South-East Asia Region specifically identifying priority activities to be initiated by WHO and Member countries, will guide and facilitate country initiatives on strengthening health workforce. WHO is totally committed to play the lead role in catalysing the implementation of this regional strategy. [from abstract]

Incentives for non-physician health professionals to work in the rural and remote areas of Mozambique—a discrete choice experiment for eliciting job preferences

Successfully motivating and retaining health workers is critical for the effective performance of health systems. In Mozambique, a shortage of health care professionals and low levels of staff motivation in rural and remote areas pose challenges to the provision of equitable health care delivery.

Potential Impact of Devolution on Motivation and Job Satisfaction of Healthcare Workers in Kenya: Lessons from Early Implementation in Kenya and Experiences of other Sub-Saharan African Countries

Kenya’s healthcare devolution was introduced to enhance the quality of care, user satisfaction, equity, and efficiency in service delivery. However, it has since been facing plethora of challenges mostly because healthcare workers (HCWs), who play a significant role in achieving health objectives, were neglected during implementation. This dissertation tries to identify the potential impact of devolution on motivation and satisfaction of HCWs in a politicised Kenyan context. [from abstract]

Need For Competency Based Healthcare Management Education In India: Concerns, Challenges And Way Ahead

The paper explores the possibility of conceptualization and introduction of standardized competency based healthcare management education in India. The impression about competency based education in field of healthcare is limited to medical and nursing education. Concentrated efforts are required to develop the same concept in the field of healthcare management as well. [from abstract]

Brief overview of the Literature Relevant to Human Resources for Health (HRH) in Ethiopia

An editorial and bibliography of important citations dealing with health and human resources for health issues in Ethiopia.

Health Financing Sustainability Policy: Republic of Rwanda

The Health Financing sustainability policy is based on the overall health sector policy which is also in compliance with the Vision 2020 of the Government of Rwanda. The health sector has been characterized by successful innovations in health financing such as the Community Based Health Insurance Schemes (CBHIS), the Performance Based Financing (PFP) approach for both health facilities and the Comm unity Health Workers (CHW) cooperatives whose positive impact has been documented. [from forward]

Health Sector Policy: Republic of Rwanda

Rwanda’s Health Sector Policy translates the Government’s overall vision of development in the health sector, as set out in Vision 2020 and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II 2013-2018). Since the adoption of the previous Health Sector Policy in 2005, much has changed in terms of national socio-economic development and more specifically in the health sector.

The Invisible Economy and Gender Inequalities: The Importance of Measuring and Valuing Unpaid Work

Unpaid health and child care provided in the household, along with other activities that contribute to the physical, cognitive, and emotional development of members of a household, have a major impact on individual and public well-being, as well as on the human development potential of the countries. These economic activities, performed largely by women, take place outside the market and are therefore invisible in the economic statistics and national accounts systems of most countries. [from abstract]

Models for Primary Eye Care Services in India

Blindness and visual impairment continues to be a major public health problem in India. Availability and easy access to primary eye care services is essential for elimination of avoidable blindness. In the current situation, an integrated health care system with primary eye care promoted by government of India is apparently the best answer. This model is both cost effective and practical for the prevention and control of blindness among the underprivileged population. [from abstract]

Supporting Close-to-Community Providers Through a Community Health System Approach: Case Examples from Ethiopia and Tanzania

Close-to-community (CTC) providers, including community health workers or volunteers or health extension workers, can be effective in promoting access to and utilization of health services. Tasks are often shifted to these providers with limited resources and support from CTC programmes or communities. Two cases are presented. [from abstract]

Primary Health Care Expectations and Reality in Bangladesh: A Sociological Analysis of the Selected Two Rural Areas

This research deals with the expectations and reality of primary health care in Bangladesh and focuses on different
Government and NGOs health care situation in rural areas. [from abstract]

External evaluation of the Amref Health Africa Project on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights for the Young People (Tuitetee – Lets Fight For It), 2010- 2015

This end-of-project evaluation of the Swedish support to the Amref Health Africa Project on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights for the Young People (Tuitetee–LetsFight For It), 2010-2015 was commissioned by the Embassy of Sweden in Tanzania, through Sida’s framework agreement for reviews and evaluations. [from preface]

Midterm Review of National Health Plans: An Example from the United Republic of Tanzania

In the health sector, planning and resource allocation at country level are mainly guided by national plans. For each such plan, a midterm review of progress is important for policy-makers since the review can inform the second half of the plan’s implementation and provide a situation analysis on which the subsequent plan can be based. [from abstract]

Women Doctors and their Careers in a Large University Hospital in Spain at the Beginning of the 21st Century

The aim of this article was to compare the advance of women with that of men and determine the differences between hierarchical status and professional recognition achieved by women in medicine. Methods A retrospective study was carried out in the Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain, of the period from 1996 to 2008. [from abstract]

Human Resources for Health in Six Healthcare Arenas Under Stress: A Qualitative Study

Research on “human resources for health” (HRH) typically focuses on the public health subsector, despite the World Health Organization’s inclusive definition to the contrary. This qualitative research examines the profile of HRH in six conflict-affected contexts where the public health subsector does not dominate healthcare service provision and HRH is a less coherent and cohesive entity: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Somalia. [from abstract]

Health Supply Chain Case Studies: Initial Results

This report includes the first two of these case studies for Imperial Health Sciences and Central Medical Supplies Public Corporation
(Sudan). PtD intends to continue developing case studies to offer the broader community examples of human capital management that they can adopt to improve supply chain execution. [from introduction]

Can Smartphones and Tablets Improve the Management of Childhood Illness in Tanzania? A Qualitative Study from a Primary Health Care Worker's Perspective

The impact of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy has been less than anticipated because of poor uptake. Electronic algorithms have the potential to improve quality of health care in children. However, feasibility studies about the use of electronic protocols on mobile devices over time are limited. This study investigated constraining as well as facilitating factors that influence the uptake of a new electronic Algorithm for
Management of Childhood Illness (ALMANACH) among primary health workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. [from abstract]

National Health Research System in Malawi: Dead, Moribund, Tepid or Flourishing?

Several instruments at both the global and regional levels to which countries in the WHO African Region are party call for action by governments to strengthen national health research systems (NHRS). This paper debates the extent to which Malawi has fulfilled this commitment. [from abstract]

The Role of Social Service Workforce Development in Care Reforms

This working paper explores the topic of social service workforce strengthening as it relates to child care reform. It is intended to be a useful resource for reform efforts and a practical and accessible overview for use by policy-makers, practitioners, and service providers in contexts that are either considering the implications of care reforms for their social service workforce or are already engaged in the process. The paper illustrates key issues by drawing on the experiences of Indonesia, Moldova, and Rwanda, three countries in the process of reform. [from

Strategic Planning for Health: A Case Study from Turkey

This report explores the role of strategic planning in Turkey’s successful transformation of its health sector since 2002. It analyses the evolution of strategic planning for health from an informal tool to an official and highly structured process that closely follows the steps identified in accepted models of strategic planning. [from abstract]

Factors Affecting Performance of Nurses at Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study is to assess the factors affecting performance of nurses in Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. [from abstract]

Building Locally Relevant Models for Universal Health Coverage and its Implications for Health Information Systems: Some Reflections from India

This paper speaks to this agenda, and describes an ongoing pilot study from the state of Punjab in India with a focus on the implications of UHC models on HIS. Five key implications on HIS are identified: Expanding basket of services; Population basing of services; Ensuring continuity of care; Resource allocation choices; Monitoring financial protection and costs of care. [from abstract]

Developing a National E-Health Strategy for DR Congo: A Preliminary Analysis of Business Needs, Existing Information Systems and Solutions

A first part of the study consisted of a detailed analysis of regulatory documents and strategic plans related to the Congolese health system and health informatics development. In a second part, field visits and semi-structured interviews were organized with a representative sample of relevant health structures throughout the country. [from abstract]

Determinants of Access to Healthcare by Older Persons in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Older persons report poor health status and greater need for healthcare. However, there is limited research on older persons’ healthcare disparities in Uganda. Therefore, this paper aimed at investigating factors associated with older persons’ healthcare access in Uganda, using a nationally representative sample. [from abstract]

Who is Assisting Women to Deliver Babies within Health Facilities? An Analysis of Deliveries in Four Provinces in Zambia

Skilled birth attendance (SBA) has been shown to reduce maternal mortality and improve birth outcomes. Because skilled professionals are supposed to be present in health facilities, increasing facility deliveries is expected to increase SBA. However, in a country with a critical shortage of skilled health personnel, is this always the case? We present data from three studies conducted in Zambia to understand SBA and delivery practices in health facilities. [from abstract]

Knowledge and Acceptance of ‘Vasectomy as a Method of Contraception’ amongst Literate Married Men in Ekpoma, Nigeria

Women have been shown to accept surgical intervention methods of contraception than men. Despite the fact
that vasectomy is safer, simpler and effective, it is underutilized and relatively unknown in Nigeria. This study therefore, investigates the knowledge and acceptance of ‘vasectomy as a male contraceptive method in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria.

The Consequences of Burnout Syndrome among Healthcare Professionals in Spain and Spanish Speaking Latin American Countries

The goal of this paper is to identify the frequency and intensity of the perception of adverse professional consequences and their association with burnout syndrome and occupational variables. [from abstract]

A Short History of HIV Prevention Programs for Female Sex Workers in Ghana: Lessons Learned Over 3 Decades

Female sex workers (FSWs) in Ghana have a 10-fold greater risk for acquiring HIV than the general adult population, and they contribute a substantial proportion of the new HIV infections in the country. Although researchers have conducted behavioral and biological surveys, there has been no review of the contextual, programmatic, and epidemiological changes over time. The authors conducted a historical review of HIV prevention programs in Ghana. [from abstract]