Published on Management Sciences for Health (https://msh.org)

Home > Monthly archive >
December 02, 2014
comments [1]

#GivingTuesday: Give a Gift That Matters Today [2]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Warren Zelman.} [2]Photo credit: Warren Zelman.

Today we celebrate [5]! Organizations and individuals come together to celebrate giving [6] and to better our world. Together, with you, our friends and colleagues, we have a goal to raise $10,000 today to help stop Ebola. 

We invite you to join the [7] [5] movement and give today a gift that matters—a gift that helps to save lives.

This [5], your gift will support MSH and partners to help stop the spread of Ebola across Africa, help countries prepare their health systems at all levels, and help strengthen their response to prevent future epidemics. Fighting Ebola is part of MSH's vision for a world where everyone has the opportunity for a healthy life.

Here's how you can help right now:

Read more [2]
December 02, 2014
comments [8]

Improving Primary Care for the Poor by Leveraging Drug Sellers at Scale: Tanzania’s Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets Program [9]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
MSH} [9]A woman and her child consult with an ADDO dispenser in Tanzania.Photo credit: MSH

Cross-posted with permission from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Blog, Impatient Optimists [12].

Primary health care has many different definitions, but can be defined simply as the first place where people seek care. Within this definition, private sector providers constitute an important source of primary health care in many parts of the world.

Private providers of primary health

Private providers can run the spectrum–from private hospitals, pharmacies, and non-profit clinics, to informal providers such as faith-based healers and drug shops. A 2013 review suggests that informal providers account for as much as two-thirds of health care visits in Bangladesh and Thailand, and a substantial percentage of visits in Nigeria and Kenya as well.[1]

Read more [9]
December 03, 2014
comments [13]

International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2014: The Promise of Technology [14]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Women & Gender [16]
Sylvia Vriesendorp/MSH} [14]Participants and model wheelchair users on the last day of the WHO Wheelchair Service Training Package-Basic Level delivery in Manila, Philippines.Photo credit: Sylvia Vriesendorp/MSH

A version of this post originally appeared on the Leadership, Management & Governance Project Blog [17]. 

Since 1992, the United Nations General Assembly has observed the International Day of Persons with Disabilities [18] on December 3. The annual observance aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. 

This year, the theme of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is "Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology".

Read more [14]
December 04, 2014
comments [19]

Beating Tuberculosis Requires More than Medicine [20]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Damien Schumann, via ScienceSpeaks Blog} [20]Busisiwe Beko.Photo credit: Damien Schumann, via ScienceSpeaks Blog

Cross-posted with permission from Science Speaks Blog. [22]

The Value of Patient Support

Eight years ago Busisiwe Beko was undergoing treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) when, after months of waiting to see a pediatric specialist, her daughter was diagnosed with the same illness. The five-month-old baby was admitted to a TB hospital where she would receive treatment for seven months; Busisiwe, however, was turned away due to lack of space. Today, both mother and daughter are healthy. And, their experience with MDR-TB didn’t stop at their cure. Busisiwe went on to join Médecins Sans Frontières [23] as a counselor for MDR-TB patients in her community, providing the support and medication counseling that she wished she had received during treatment.

Read more [20]
December 04, 2014
comments [24]

Celebrating 10 Years of Partnership to Save Lives in Ethiopia [25]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Universal Health Coverage [26]
MSH} [25]State Minister of Health Dr. Kebede Worku thanked MSH for continued support the last ten years.Photo credit: MSH

“MSH is like my mother,’’ said Yimenu, a young medical professional from East Gojam, a place about 600 kilometers from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. “I have been suffering for five years and it was because of MSH that I started living all over again.”

Yimenu is the voice of thousands: the symbol of partnership that contributed significantly to the country’s increasingly strengthened health sector to save lives.

“I ask no more than an opportunity to help others,” said Yimenu looking at the crowd with complete joy.

[Yimenu testifies about MSH's impact.] {Photo credit: MSH}Yimenu testifies about MSH's impact.Photo credit: MSH

It was during the celebration of Management Sciences for Health (MSH) Ethiopia’s 10th anniversary that Yimenu gave this testimony about the support he got from MSH. The event was a celebration of the ten years journey. Challenges were faced, frustrations overcame, mountains and rivers crossed. It was a journey of courage, determination and most of all, the noblest mission of saving lives.

Read more [25]
December 05, 2014
comments [27]

The mHealth Pilot Experience in Nigeria: Six Leadership and Development Lessons Learned [28]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Maeghan Orton/Medic Mobile} [28]Photo credit: Maeghan Orton/Medic Mobile

For more than a decade, health teams in over 40 countries have improved their performance using MSH’s Leadership Development Program [29] (LDP) and the latest version, Leadership Development Program Plus [30] (LDP+), which improves public health impact and scale-up. During the same period, there has been a tremendous expansion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in health and mHealth interventions, particularly using mobile devices. This past year, two MSH-led projects—the Prevention Organizational Systems AIDS Care and Treatment (Pro-ACT) project [31] in Nigeria and The Leadership, Management & Governance (LMG) Project [32]—collaborated with LMG partner Medic Mobile [33] to pair the LDP+ [34] with a mobile application to systematically capture, collate, and report LDP+ results in near-real-time.

Read more [28]
December 08, 2014
comments [35]

Universal Health Coverage Day 2014: Five Reasons to Join the Call for Health for All [36]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Universal Health Coverage [26]
Women & Gender [16]
Mark Tuschman.} [36]Photo credit: Mark Tuschman.

#HealthforAll [37]. Everywhere. [38]]" width="200"> [39]. Everywhere. [38]Post updated: December 9, 2014, 11:30 am EST

On Friday, December 12, 2014, a global coalition will launch the first-ever Universal Health Coverage Day [40] (UHC Day) and call for universal health coverage [41] (UHC) to be a cornerstone of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda and a priority for all nations. UHC Day encourages civil society organizations from around the globe to publicly display support of UHC and health for all on Friday. Over four hundred organizations have already joined the call.

Read more [36]
December 09, 2014
comments [42]

Debate and Deliberate for a Shared Vision of Health for All: Nairobi, Kenya [43]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Universal Health Coverage [26]
Anteneh Lemma/MSH} [43]The Health for All Campaign in Kenya is hosting a series of debates on universal health coverage.Photo credit: Anteneh Lemma/MSH

“I wish I had called this event,” said Mr. Simone Ole Kirgotty, CEO of Kenyan National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). This came as a surprise to many since the CEO was bombarded with critical questions and comments about the activities of the organization he has been leading for the last two years. “If it was new for me to lead such a controversial organization, I would have run away after all these comments,” added Mr. Kirgotty cheerfully.

It was during a public debate in Nairobi, organized by the Health for All: Campaign for Universal Health Coverage in Africa [44] (Health for All Campaign), that the CEO of Kenya NHIF made these remarks. The debate, entitled: “Improving Communications to Scale up Public Engagement with NHIF: Challenges and Prospects,” was part of a series of debates being conducted in seven counties in Kenya. As highlighted by Dr. Daraus Bukenya, Country Representative for MSH Kenya, the major objective of the debates is to get clarity on NHIF activities, to create a platform for community engagement, and to identify and put together recommendations to NHIF to work toward universal health coverage in Kenya. The first debate was held on November 17, 2014 in Nyeri.

Read more [43]
December 09, 2014
comments [45]

Universal Health Coverage Day 2014: "Because UHC is Attainable" [46]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Universal Health Coverage [26]
Warren Zelman.} [46]Photo credit: Warren Zelman.

Staff contributors at Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a founding member of the UHC Day coalition, are blogging this week about universal health coverage, including sharing fresh videos, photos, and analysis, inspired by the five reasons to support health for all [47]. Each day we also include how you can take action right away to support health for all.

Today, we highlight reason two ("Because UHC is attainable") with video and stories from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria--countries working toward UHC.

Because Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is Attainable

@UHC_Day [37]}" width="200" style="float: none;"> [38]

Read more [46]
December 10, 2014
comments [48]

Universal Health Coverage Day 2014: Could UHC Keep Us Ebola-free? [49]

Fragile States [52]
Health Systems Strengthening [4]
Universal Health Coverage [26]
Fred Hartman/MSH} [49]Billboard, Liberia.Photo credit: Fred Hartman/MSH

[Universal Health Coverage Day.]Universal Health Coverage Day.Management Sciences for Health (MSH) bloggers are discussing universal health coverage (UHC) and why we support health for all [47] this week, leading up to Dec. 12, UHC Day. MSH is a founding member of the UHC Day coalition. Today, MSH authors Chelsey Canavan, Jonathan Jay, and Dr. Jonathan D. Quick discuss if, and how, UHC could help prevent major outbreaks, like the current Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.

This post originally appeared on Devex [53].

Dec. 12, marks Universal Health Coverage Day [54], the second anniversary of a United Nations resolution endorsing UHC as a global priority. The last two years have seen a growing consensus that pursuing UHC will save lives and alleviate poverty, especially in developing countries.

Meanwhile, the devastating Ebola crisis continues to claim lives and stifle opportunity in West Africa. Observers were quick to note that UHC could have helped arrest the spread of Ebola [55], yet countries like Nigeria, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — all quite early on their paths toward UHC — have successfully contained Ebola outbreaks.

So is UHC really the answer?

Ebola shows us that more resources must go toward public health infrastructure. That’s an important lesson for UHC reforms, which could easily overlook those investments in favor of individual health services. UHC strategies can’t rest on individual service delivery to mitigate major health threats. When we imagine UHC, we should see institutions and organizations actively promoting the public’s health—long before the need for emergency response.

Read more [49]
Source URL: https://msh.org/blog/archive/201412

Links
[1] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/02/givingtuesday-give-a-gift-that-matters-today#comments
[2] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/02/givingtuesday-give-a-gift-that-matters-today
[3] https://msh.org/users/management-sciences-for-health
[4] https://msh.org/blog-categories/health-systems-strengthening
[5] https://twitter.com//search?q=%23GivingTuesday
[6] http://www.givingtuesday.org/
[7] http://www.msh.org/donate
[8] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/02/improving-primary-care-for-the-poor-by-leveraging-drug-sellers-at-scale-tanzania%E2%80%99s#comments
[9] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/02/improving-primary-care-for-the-poor-by-leveraging-drug-sellers-at-scale-tanzania%E2%80%99s
[10] https://msh.org/users/dana-hovig
[11] https://msh.org/users/eva-westley
[12] http://www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2014/11/Improving-Primary-Care-for-the-Poor-by-Leveraging-Drug-Sellers-at-Scale-Tanzanias-Accredited-Drug-Dispensing-Outlets-Program
[13] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/03/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-2014-the-promise-of-technology#comments
[14] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/03/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-2014-the-promise-of-technology
[15] https://msh.org/users/sarah-jonassen-bittman
[16] https://msh.org/blog-categories/women-gender
[17] http://www.lmgforhealth.org/blog/2014-12-02/international-day-persons-disabilities
[18] http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=111
[19] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/04/beating-tuberculosis-requires-more-than-medicine#comments
[20] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/04/beating-tuberculosis-requires-more-than-medicine
[21] https://msh.org/users/emily-delmotte
[22] http://sciencespeaksblog.org/2014/12/03/beating-tb-requires-more-than-medicine-the-value-of-patient-support/
[23] http://www.msf.org/
[24] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/04/celebrating-10-years-of-partnership-to-save-lives-in-ethiopia#comments
[25] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/04/celebrating-10-years-of-partnership-to-save-lives-in-ethiopia
[26] https://msh.org/blog-categories/universal-health-coverage
[27] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/05/the-mhealth-pilot-experience-in-nigeria-six-leadership-and-development-lessons#comments
[28] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/05/the-mhealth-pilot-experience-in-nigeria-six-leadership-and-development-lessons
[29] http://www.msh.org/blog-tags/leadership-development-program
[30] http://www.lmgforhealth.org/activities/leadership-development
[31] http://www.msh.org/our-work/projects/prevention-organizational-systems-%E2%80%93-aids-care-treatment-project
[32] http://www.lmgforhealth.org/
[33] http://medicmobile.org/
[34] http://www.msh.org/video/ldp-participant-alheri-bulus-discusses-recent-training
[35] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/08/universal-health-coverage-day-2014-five-reasons-to-join-the-call-for-health-for-all#comments
[36] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/08/universal-health-coverage-day-2014-five-reasons-to-join-the-call-for-health-for-all
[37] http://www.universalhealthcoverageday.org/en/
[38] http://twitter.com/UHC_Day
[39] https://twitter.com//search?q=%23HealthforAll
[40] http://www.msh.org/news-events/press-room/universal-health-coverage-day-to-be-launched-on-december-12
[41] http://www.msh.org/our-work/initiative/universal-health-coverage
[42] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/09/debate-and-deliberate-for-a-shared-vision-of-health-for-all-nairobi-kenya#comments
[43] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/09/debate-and-deliberate-for-a-shared-vision-of-health-for-all-nairobi-kenya
[44] http://www.msh.org/our-work/projects/health-for-all-campaign-for-universal-health-coverage-in-africa
[45] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/09/universal-health-coverage-day-2014-because-uhc-is-attainable#comments
[46] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/09/universal-health-coverage-day-2014-because-uhc-is-attainable
[47] http://www.msh.org/blog/2014/12/08/universal-health-coverage-day-2014-five-reasons-to-join-the-call-for-health-for-all
[48] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/10/universal-health-coverage-day-2014-could-uhc-keep-us-ebola-free#comments
[49] https://msh.org/blog/2014/12/10/universal-health-coverage-day-2014-could-uhc-keep-us-ebola-free
[50] https://msh.org/users/chelsey-canavan
[51] https://msh.org/users/jonathan-d-quick-md-mph
[52] https://msh.org/blog-categories/fragile-states
[53] https://www.devex.com/news/could-uhc-keep-us-ebola-free-85060
[54] http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.universalhealthcoverageday.org%2Fen%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHSV_Fs7qJnooMju6-nm3nO6g8kDw
[55] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syie2jJEzaE&sns=em