November 2020

November 03, 2020

On our minds: All hands on deck to eliminate TB [2]

[2]Doctors visit patients in Rabia Balkhi hospital, Kabul Afghanistan. Photo Credit: Afghan Eyes/Jawad Jalali

COVID-19 will impact the prevention and treatment of many diseases, and there are particularly grim possibilities for tuberculosis (TB), which could set back our progress toward its elimination. Fortunately, our emphasis on strengthening local health systems is helping to build resilience against this kind of shock. We reached out to MSH technical experts leading three new global and national TB programs to learn what’s on their minds as their teams begin implementation under a COVID-19 reality. They all agree: COVID-19 reminds us why we cannot become complacent, and when it comes to the global fight to eliminate TB, it is no longer business as usual. Read what Ersin Topcuoglu [4], Daniel Gemechu [5], and Ehsanullah Darwish [6] had to say about how we can fundamentally improve the way countries fight TB.

A Rude but Necessary Awakening: COVID-19 and the Role of Regulatory Agencies in Africa [8]

Health Systems Strengthening [3]

[8]Pharmacist Mary Yeesuf dispenses medicine to a patient in Minna, Nigeria. Photo Credit: Gwenn Dubourthournieu

COVID-19 has highlighted the need [9] for long-term investments in regulatory systems to secure faster access to medical products. During a recent Livestream hosted by MSH and Deloitte, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, Director General of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), emphasized the role regulatory agencies play in ensuring pharmaceutical system impact now and beyond the pandemic. One such breakthrough─local manufacturing─requires agencies shore up regulatory capacities and address challenges now. Prof. Adeyeye discusses how her agency supports the local manufacturing of medicines and prepares for the roll-out of vaccines against COVID-19.

Leading Voices: Meet Victoria Erinle [11]

Laura Hanson [12]

Health Systems Strengthening [3]

Women & Gender [13]

[11]

MSH, as a partner to the government of Nigeria and sub-recipient to Catholic Relief Services, supports the Global Fund Malaria grant in building Nigeria’s capacity to implement malaria control activities, strengthen the quality of care for malaria, and improve the use of health data across 13 states.

Read more [11]

Links
[1] https://msh.org/blog/2020/11/03/on-our-minds-all-hands-on-deck-to-eliminate-tb#comments
[2] https://msh.org/blog/2020/11/03/on-our-minds-all-hands-on-deck-to-eliminate-tb
[3] https://msh.org/blog-categories/health-systems-strengthening
[4] https://msh.org/users/ersin-topcuoglu
[5] https://msh.org/users/daniel-gemechu
[6] https://msh.org/users/ehsanullah-darwish
[7] https://msh.org/blog/2020/11/05/a-rude-but-necessary-awakening-covid-19-and-the-role-of-regulatory-agencies-in#comments
[8] https://msh.org/blog/2020/11/05/a-rude-but-necessary-awakening-covid-19-and-the-role-of-regulatory-agencies-in
[9] https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/wake-call-both-brutal-and-urgent
[10] https://msh.org/blog/2020/11/16/leading-voices-meet-victoria-erinle#comments
[11] https://msh.org/blog/2020/11/16/leading-voices-meet-victoria-erinle
[12] https://msh.org/users/laura-hanson
[13] https://msh.org/blog-categories/women-gender