This is a report of a study of faith-based organisations in sub-Sahara, with a focus on their activities of medicine supply and distribution. Faith-based drug supply organisations (DSOs) play a crucial role in facilitating access to medicines, and complement government efforts, particularly in rural and remote areas. The study found that DSOs generally perform well, and operate in a transparent and cost-effective way. In the countries considered in this study, DSOs serve an average of 43% of the population. Weaknesses are also highlighted, including lack of quality assurance, rational use of medicines policies and business plans
This study looks at the extent to which medical and pharmacy students are being educated about drug promotion. Such education is important to ensure that they respond appropriately to drug promotion and that their interactions with the pharmaceutical industry meet a high ethical standard and are consistent with regulatory norms
People affected by a catastrophe like the tsunami of 26 December 2004 are exposed to extreme stressors which represent risks to mental health. It is estimated that the tsunami caused an increase in mental disorders of between five and ten per cent. This document describes the types of mental health problems which are found in the tsunami-affected area and makes recommendations for interventions
This manual is intended to help health professionals and coordinators deal with emergency situations, ensuring that adequate measures are taken to prevent, detect and control the spread of communicable diseases. Emergency situations often involve the displacement of large sections of the population, which may entail high population densities, inadequate shelter, poor sanitation but also the breaking down of health services and disease control programmes. The risk of epidemics in these situations is very high. This document calls for a systematic approach to the control communicable diseases in emergencies, and suggests that the humanitarian response should aim at these four objectives: rapid assessment; prevention; surveillance; outbreak control; disease management. The result of collaborative review and adaptation of existing guidelines, it provices practical guidance to public health professionals
This manual provides guidance for policymakers on the issue of prehospital trauma care systems. The main areas covered include the organisation of the prehospital trauma care system, capacity development, data collection, transportation and communication, as well as ethical and legal considerations
"The mental and social health consequences of exposure to biological or chemical weapons require a public health strategy. Attacks with chemical and biological weapons are likely to be accompanied by acute fear, organic mental problems, psychological responses to somatic illnesses and injuries, and long-term development of medically unexplained symptoms. The paper outlines some early social interventions, followed by descriptions of early mental health interventions"
"Violence against women by an intimate partner is a major contributor to the ill-health of women. This study analyses data from 10 countries and sheds new light on the prevalence of violence against women in countries where few data were previously available. It also uncovers the forms and patterns of this violence across different countries and cultures, documenting the consequences of violence for women’s health. This information has important implications for prevention, care and mitigation... The high rates documented by the Study of sexual abuse experienced by girls and women are of great concern, especially in light of the HIV epidemic. Greater public awareness of this problem is needed and a strong public health response that focuses on preventing such violence from occurring in the first place...This study will help national authorities to design policies and programmes that begin to deal with the problem"
This report provides information related to disability issues and rehabilitation services, provided by 29 countries of Africa, and includes demographics, the presence of national policies and NGOs. The report is divided into the following three parts: a global review of information, the country profiles and a summary table of the information provided in individual countries. This report is useful for people interested in disability and rehabilitation services in Africa
"This guide describes best practices for clinical management of people who have been raped in emergency situations. It is intended for adaptation to each situation, taking into account national policies and practices, and availability of materials and drugs. This guide is intended for use by qualified health-care providers in developing protocols for the management of rape survivors in emergencies, taking into account available resources, materials, and drugs, and national policies and procedures. It can also be used in planning health-care services and training health-care providers. The document includes detailed guidance on the clinical management of women, men and children who have been raped"
The guiding principles presented here are intended to serve as a starting point for organizing sustained pragmatic interventions that will ensure appropriate feeding and care for infants and young children at all stages of an organized emergency response. Responsible national authorities and concerned international and nongovernmental organizations are invited to use these guiding principles as a basis for training personnel responsible for emergency preparedness and response, and for reacting directly on behalf of needy populations during emergencies. Meeting the specific nutritional requirements of infants and young children, including promoting and supporting optimal feeding practices, should be a routine part of any emergency relief response. Indeed, it should be at the centre of efforts to protect the right of affected children to food, life and a productive life
People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in Thailand are increasingly encouraged to work in partnership with NGOs to improve access to disease prevention and treatment provision. This case study outlines the impact of this collaboration over a period of four years. PLHA have been directly involved in lobbying and advocacy, helping make ART more widely available, but also promoting prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections, focusing on the use of co-trimoxazole. Their involvement as co-providers in care has positively changed the attitude of health care staff towards HIV/AIDS patients. The study concludes that a coordinated collaboration between the public health system, NGOs and PLHA would have important spin-offs for both health care providers and PLHA themselves
This document outlines the historical evolution of ideas and practices of community participation in the context of tropical diseases. It shows the extent to which community involvement contributes to the control of main tropical diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, dengue fever and schistomasiasis. The review finds that 'community participation' remains a guiding principle in tropical disease control, but its future success is dependent on sustained and continuous collaboration between external agencies, government and communities
"The Health Care Systems in Transition (HiT) profiles are country-based reports that provide an analytical description of a health care system and of reform initiatives in progress or under development. The HiTs are a key element of the work of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. HiTs seek to provide relevant comparative information to support policy-makers and analysts in the development of health care systems in Europe." Contents: 1. Introduction and historical background 2. Organizational structure and management 3. Health care financing and expenditure 4. Health care delivery system 5. Financial resource allocation 6. Health care reforms
This manual, for health care practitioners, is intended as an introductory resource tool for health care professionals around the world, and especially in developing countries, who aim to increase their knowledge and understanding of children and environmental health
This summary report and the full report on which it is based describe the concepts relating to promotion of mental health, the emerging evidence for effectiveness of interventions, and the public health policy and practice implications
The conference was held to review the experiences of 20 years of CBR and evaluate the impact of the approach in order to provide a direction for the development of CBR in the new millennium
A large number of people are exposed to extreme stressors that are a risk factor for mental health and social problems. This report describes principles and strategies that can be applied in resource poor settings where there are people who have been exposed to extreme stressors, such as refugees, internally displaced persons, disaster survivors and populations exposed to terrorism, genocide or war
This document summarises the outcomes of the international consultation. The main conclusions were that human rights play a role in CBR, CBR has to be supported by national governments, various sectors have to cooperate and that UN agencies, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have to promote CBR as a poverty re-education strategy