March 2012

March 02, 2012

Note to a Midwife [2]

Margaret Hartley [3]

[2]Photo credit: MSH.

Mbambu is a midwife who works at Isole Health Center III in rural Western Uganda. When I had the opportunity to visit with her, she was the only health care provider at the center. Trained as a midwife nine years ago, her passion for her job pours out of her. Since primary school, becoming a midwife "was always my mission,” she said.

A little over a year ago, Mbambu was trained in family planning and reproductive health skills by STRIDES for Family Health [5], a USAID [6]-funded program in Uganda led by MSH [7]. Prior to the training, the health center could only offer education and basic family planning services.

Now Mbambu educates women who are waiting to have their children immunized or receive antenatal treatment about family planning, healthy spacing and timing of pregnancies, and the benefits of delivering at a health center. Her new skills also empower her to administer basic and long-term family planning services.

Mbambu shared a compelling story that I promised I would share with others:

Recognizing and Empowering Women Leaders at All Levels of the Health System [9]

B Giorgis_jquick [10]

Women & Gender [4]

[9]Photo credit: MSH.

Josephine, a wife and mother of six living in rural Uganda, tried to soothe her 3-year-old daughter. The girl was suffering from diarrhea and a high fever and her crying filled the home. Recognizing that the girl's health was in danger, Josephine summoned the courage to ask her husband for permission to take their second-youngest child to the local health facility unit -- and pleaded for money to cover the travel and treatment expenses.

Requesting permission from her husband to travel to the facility was not her only choice, however: choosing to take her daughter for treatment also meant leaving her other children -- including her youngest -- unattended at home. Once at the health center, she continued to navigate the challenging road to treatment for her daughter, communicating her situation to the health providers and negotiating the financial and provider aspects of the health center system, without assistance. Relieved and exhausted, Josephine returned home safely with her daughter, oral rehydration salts, and knowledge.

Recognizing women leaders

What makes a person in the health system a good leader? Who determines that he or she is a leader? How do we empower leaders to improve the health of those around them?

Empowering Rural Women: MSH Celebrates International Women’s Day [12]

Jonathan D. Quick, MD, MPH [13]

Women & Gender [4]

Video that highlights the work of thousands of Tanzanians---mostly women---working as accredited community drug sellers operating in rural areas.

[12]Video that highlights the work of thousands of Tanzanians---mostly women---working as accredited community drug sellers operating in rural areas.

Today is International Women’s Day, celebrated around the world as an opportunity to look back on women’s accomplishments and look forward to the realization of their full economic, political, and social rights. The United Nations theme for this year, “Empowering Rural Women,” is one that resonates powerfully with MSH’s work.

Why Hasn't the U.S. Signed CEDAW, A Treaty to End Discrimination Against Women Worldwide? [15]

T Stewart [16]

US Global Health Policy [17]

Women & Gender [4]

Dr. Sima Samar speaking on 'How to advance women's rights in developing countries.' {Photo from World Bank webcast, March 5, 2012.}

[15]Photo from World Bank webcast, March 5, 2012.

On Monday, March 5, 2012, everyone from policymakers to students gathered at the World Bank for a Special Event on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Women’s Rights.

CEDAW [18] is a treaty that has been ratified worldwide by all but six countries --- the United States, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, and two small Pacific Island nations (Palau and Tonga).

The event was hosted by Caroline Anstey, Managing Director of the World Bank [19], in conjunction with the Nordic Trust Fund, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, and the United Nations Foundation [20].

Increasing Access to Medicines in Uganda [22]

Julian Natukunda [23]

Health Systems Strengthening [24]

[22]Photo credits: Jimmy Ondoma/MSH.

Over the years, the Koboko health centre IV located in the West Nile region of Uganda has experienced challenges in the management of essential medicines and health supplies. Stock-outs of vital medicines were widespread, while huge quantities of slow-moving medicines were at risk of expiring. These problems were attributed to health workers’ poor skills in logistics management. In addition, there a was lack of reliable information to guide staff on when and what to order since stock cards were not regularly updated.

In July 2011, USAID [25]'s Securing Ugandans’ Right to Essential Medicines (SURE) [26] program, led by Management Sciences for Health (MSH), began capacity-building activities aimed at strengthening essential medicines and health supplies systems at health facilities in the region. SURE has used the supervision, performance assessment, and recognition approach in 45 districts in Uganda. This approach involves mentoring and coaching pharmacy and stores’ staff at private not-for-profit and public health facilities in medicines management.

eHealth Transforming TB Prevention and Control in Brazil, and Beyond [28]

J Keravec_lbastos [29]

Health Systems Strengthening [24]

[28]Originally known as SITE-TB, Sistema TMBR is the official platform for drug resistant TB monitoring and treatment in Brazil.

In the 1990s many Brazilian patients infected with tuberculosis (TB) were not being cured, despite starting treatment. Some patients stopped taking their medication, which led to the reemergence of TB. In 1993, the World Health Organization declared that TB was a global emergency. Eventually, a multi-resistant strain of TB surfaced, making it even more difficult to fight the disease.

These occurrences --- referred to as “chronic cases” --- became apparent in some Brazilian states, but health units lacked standardized management systems to treat these cases of TB.

Centro de Referência Professor Hélio Fraga (CRPHF), which is Brazil's National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, took control of TB surveillance in 1994. CRPHF defined a more effective treatment scheme and a national network to register and monitor the chronic cases in 1999. CRPHF builds human capacity through training and carries out operational and epidemiological studies. They also evaluate TB and other lung disease control activities and function as a Macro Regional Reference Lab.

Abandoned No More: The Story of Godgift [31]

S Mahdi [32]

Health Systems Strengthening [24]

[31]Photo credit: Anayo Chike Charles/MSH.

Early one morning Mrs. Fred woke up and found a boy outside her house. Alarmed and curious, she asked him why he was there. Godgift, as he identified himself, told her that the continuous appearance of a snake where he lived forced him to abandon the place he called home, after numerous futile attempts to frighten it off with pepper. Highly disturbed, she arranged for him to eat in a nearby restaurant whenever he showed up by her house.

The boy, Godgift Henshaw, is 13 years old. Godgift's mother took him along when she left her husband and eloped with another man. When the burden of care got too heavy, she left Godgift with her mother in Agbia community, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Godgift’s grandmother beat and neglected him. Most of the time he went without food and often slept outside the house. Finally, she labeled him a wizard and abandoned him, fleeing from their home.

The landlord evicted Godgift when there was no one to pay the rent. He took refuge in an uncompleted building in a nearby bush, completely at the mercy of the elements. Abandoned and stigmatized (following his identification as a wizard), he fed himself by doing odd jobs.

Addressing Challenges in Kasese, Uganda: A Conversation with the District Health Officer [34]

Margaret Hartley [3]

Health Systems Strengthening [24]

[34]Photo credit: Margaret Hartley/MSH.

The Kasese district in western Uganda is nestled between two national parks. Located hours from the capital city, Kampala, the region attracts tourists to view gorillas and mountain birds.

During my recent trip to Uganda, I met with Dr. Yusuf Baseka, the district health officer of Kasese, who described the health challenges his district faces, and his hopes for the future.

Although the national parks are beautiful and bring a much needed economic boost to the area, they also offer a challenge, Dr. Baseka explained. The population growth and fertility rate of the district are very high. With the two national parks, there is no land for expansion. The town of Kasese is rapidly becoming a slum with unsanitary conditions that are difficult to address.

Another challenge in his district is that children are not going to or staying in school. They are leaving secondary school early and engaging in risky sexual behaviors. He explains, “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in young mothers, under 18 years, some as young as 12.” Their pregnancies offer unique challenges for the health system to address.

Voices of TB: Learning from Tuberculosis Survivors [36]

Claire Moodie [37]

Universal Health Coverage [38]

US Global Health Policy [17]

David Rochkind (moderator); Rachel Urduno (Mexico/Texas); Andre Gariseb (Namibia); Pham Thu Hoa (Vietnam); Francis Apina (Kenya); Rosalie and Faith Stephson (Philippines/Texas); Endalkachew Fekadu Demmisse (Ethiopia). {Photo credit: Claire Moodie/MSH.}

[36]Photo credit: Claire Moodie/MSH.

Cross-posted on TB-CARE I [39].

World TB Day, March 24th, was commemorated in many countries around the world last week to acknowledge the accomplishments made in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), and to call attention to the work that still needs to be done.

Voices of TB, a unique event organized by USAID [25], featured former TB patients speaking about their personal fight against TB. Survivors of TB from Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia and Vietnam --- four TB CARE I [40]-supported countries --- and from the United States, spoke at the event on March 22 in Washington, D.C.

Read more [36]

Links
[1] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/02/note-to-a-midwife#comments
[2] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/02/note-to-a-midwife
[3] https://msh.org/users/margaret-hartley
[4] https://msh.org/blog-categories/women-gender
[5] http://www.msh.org/global-presence/strides-for-family-health.cfm
[6] http://www.usaid.gov/
[7] http://www.msh.org/
[8] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/02/recognizing-and-empowering-women-leaders-at-all-levels-of-the-health-system#comments
[9] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/02/recognizing-and-empowering-women-leaders-at-all-levels-of-the-health-system
[10] https://msh.org/users/bgiorgisjquick
[11] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/08/empowering-rural-women-msh-celebrates-international-women%E2%80%99s-day#comments
[12] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/08/empowering-rural-women-msh-celebrates-international-women%E2%80%99s-day
[13] https://msh.org/users/jonathan-d-quick-md-mph
[14] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/08/why-hasnt-the-us-signed-cedaw-a-treaty-to-end-discrimination-against-women-worldwide#comments
[15] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/08/why-hasnt-the-us-signed-cedaw-a-treaty-to-end-discrimination-against-women-worldwide
[16] https://msh.org/users/tstewart
[17] https://msh.org/blog-categories/us-global-health-policy
[18] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cedaw.htm
[19] http://www.worldbank.org/
[20] http://www.unfoundation.org/
[21] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/14/increasing-access-to-medicines-in-uganda#comments
[22] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/14/increasing-access-to-medicines-in-uganda
[23] https://msh.org/users/julian-natukunda
[24] https://msh.org/blog-categories/health-systems-strengthening
[25] http://usaid.gov/
[26] http://www.msh.org/our-work/projects/securing-ugandans-right-to-essential-medicines
[27] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/22/ehealth-transforming-tb-prevention-and-control-in-brazil-and-beyond#comments
[28] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/22/ehealth-transforming-tb-prevention-and-control-in-brazil-and-beyond
[29] https://msh.org/users/jkeraveclbastos
[30] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/27/abandoned-no-more-the-story-of-godgift#comments
[31] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/27/abandoned-no-more-the-story-of-godgift
[32] https://msh.org/users/smahdi
[33] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/28/addressing-challenges-in-kasese-uganda-a-conversation-with-the-district-health#comments
[34] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/28/addressing-challenges-in-kasese-uganda-a-conversation-with-the-district-health
[35] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/29/voices-of-tb-learning-from-tuberculosis-survivors#comments
[36] https://msh.org/blog/2012/03/29/voices-of-tb-learning-from-tuberculosis-survivors
[37] https://msh.org/users/claire-moodie
[38] https://msh.org/blog-categories/universal-health-coverage
[39] http://www.tbcare1.org/wtbd_story/
[40] http://www.tbcare1.org/