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The IMF, the global crisis and human resources for health : still constraining policy space

LEFRANÇOIS, Fabien
February 2010

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This report "...examines evidence from nine IMF country programmes, chosen based on their HIV prevalence rates, and finds that although the IMF has changed its tune and is talking about greater flexibility, these changes are not enough and are only temporary. "In 2006, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 57 countries were facing a severe health workforce crisis.... Addressing this shortage, and action alongside it to strengthen health systems around the world, requires substantial, concerted effort from both aid donors and recipient governments. The current global downturn threatens to undermine steps taken in this direction so far and jeopardise progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals. "...the IMF has adapted its rhetoric so that it now claims its programmes are more flexible on fiscal and monetary policies, which determine to what extent governments can maintain or increase spending - including of foreign aid - and stimulate economic activity"

Advancing newborn health : the saving newborn lives initiative

TINKER, A
et al
January 2010

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The value of low-cost, community-based interventions and strategies in significantly reducing newborn mortality has been demonstrated by targeted research, focused on overcoming the key barriers to improved newborn survival. This research is part of Saving Newborn Lives, an initiative, which is helping to address what was previously a largely neglected area within the global health agenda but is increasingly being addressed by assistance agencies, national governments and non-governmental organisations. Building on what has been learned from this and other efforts to date, the challenge is to reach the millions of newborns still at risk

Facts for life

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)
et al
2010

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This resource consists of 14 chapters filled with practical information about how to ensure children’s rights to survival, growth, development and well-being. The topics address pregnancy, childbirth, major childhood illnesses, child development, early learning, parenting, protection, and care and support of children. The messages it contains are based on human rights, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The resource aims to provide families and communities with the information they need to save and improve the lives of children. Parents, grandparents, other caregivers and young people can refer to this practical source of information for answers to their questions related to childbearing and getting children off to the best start in life. The website includes a link to an interactive site for posting comments, sharing experiences and materials and discussing relevant issues

Increasing access to health workers in remote and rural areas through improved retention|Global policy recommendations

DOLEA, Carmen
et al
2010

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These guidelines aim to help national policy makers address the challenge of ensuring there are sufficient numbers of qualified health workers in remote and rural areas to be able to deliver effective health services and improve health outcomes. The guidelines outline the principles for creating national policy; evidence-based recommendations to improve the attraction, recruitment and retention of health workers to remote and rural areas; and measuring and evaluating the impact of rural retention policies

World health statistics 2010

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2010

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This annual compilation of health-related data for the World Health Organization's 193 member states, includes a summary of the progress made towards achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and associated targets

Factors affecting recruitment and retention of community health workers in a newborn care intervention in Bangladesh

RHAMAN, Syed Moshfiqur
et al
2010

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This is a summary of research which investigated the reasons for high rates of community health worker (CHW) attrition in Sylhet District in northeastern Bangladesh. Well-trained and highly motivated CHWs are critical for delivery of many community-based newborn care interventions. High rates of CHW attrition undermine programme effectiveness and potential for implementation at scale

Testing treatments : better research for better healthcare

EVANS, Imogen
THORNTON, Hazel
CHALMERS, Iain
2010

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This book highlights issues that are fundamental to ensuring that research into the effects of treatments is soundly based and designed to answer questions that matter to patients and the health professionals to whom they turn for help in critically assessing treatment options

Improving the health care response to gender-based violence - phase II : project evaluation report

BUDIHARSANA, Meiwita P
TUNG, Mai Quoc
2010

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This report describes phase II of the Population Council Vietnam project on gender-based violence (GBV). The project involves both a hospital and community based intervention to address this problem in Hanoi and to conduct research to assess its effectiveness. This report is useful to practitioners interested in gender-based violence issues in Vietnam

World alzheimer report 2010 : the global economic impact of dementia

WIMO, Anders
PRINCE, Martin
2010

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This report provides a global picture of the economic impact of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. "The report includes an estimate of the worldwide cost of dementia, including direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs and costs of informal (family) care. The estimates are broken down by world region and include analysis of the differences between low and high income countries. The report also contains important policy recommendations and makes clear to key decision-makers that doing nothing is not an option"

Disabled children : a legal handbook

BROACH, Steve
CLEMENTS, Luke
READ, Janet
2010

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This handbook aims to empower disabled children and their families through a greater understanding of their rights and entitlements in England and Wales. It is useful reading for the families of disabled children, their advocates and lawyers, voluntary and statutory sector advisers, commissioners, managers and lawyers working for public authorities, education, social and health care professionals, students and academics

Sub-Saharan Africa's mothers, newborns, and children : where and why do they die?

KINNEY, Mary V
et al
2010

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"The aim of this paper is to present the current situation in sub-Saharan Africa for mothers, newborns, and children under age 5 years—including the progress towards the MDGs for maternal and child health, why and where deaths occur, what known interventions can be employed to prevent these deaths, and current coverage of these interventions. All data used in this review are from the most recent UN databases, national household surveys, and peer-reviewed papers where appropriate, which are referenced accordingly"
PLoS Medicine, 7(6)

Barriers to sustainable access of children and families to ART centres in rural India : a report on operations research conducted in Maharashtra and Manipur

INDIA HIV/AIDS ALLIANCE
December 2009

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This report identifies barriers that children and families face in accessing anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres in rural India. The report also seeks to find solutions to these barriers based on an operations research conducted in Maharashtra Pradesh and Manipur. Operations research objectives: * To build an understanding among policy makers of the barriers faced by children and caregivers accessing ART services in rural communities. * To assess and highlight a basic minimum level of standards for ART centres in terms of adequacy, quality and timeliness of support needed. * To explore opportunities for linkages with state and district level departments and/or local self-governing institutions

Health research for development initiative in Vietnam (HRDI ): impact evaluation results

WILLIAMS, Katherine
BUDIHARSANA, Meiwita
THI PHONG LAN, Nguyen
December 2009

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This evaluation report provides information about building health research capacity in Vietnam between 2004 and 2009. The Population Council Vietnam partnered with the Hanoi School of Public Health and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Faculty of Public Health to enahnce research skills, provide competitive awards and develop a network to link fellows to various national and international institutes and conferences. This report is useful to health and development practitioners interested in building health research capacity Vietnam

Disability and the training of health professionals

GROCE, Nora
SHAKESPEARE, Tom
LEZZONI, Lisa I
2009

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Evidence shows that people with disabilities often rate their own quality of life much higher than others rate their quality of life: subjective satisfaction of disabled people is usually comparable to that of non disabled people. [...] physicians and other healthcare professionals need to accept that many people with disabilities, particularly where their health conditions are congenital or long term, do not necessarily perceive their disability as a problem or pathology.

The Lancet
Volume 374, Issue 9704, 28 November–4 December 2009, Pages 1815-1816

Psychosocial counselling and social work with clients and their families in the Somali context : a facilitator’s guide

OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (UNHCR)
November 2009

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This handbook is "designed to be used as training support handbook for helping professionals in the Somali context. The focus is on psychosocial needs for the rehabilitation of persons with trauma, mental health related forms of distress and those who have experienced gender based violence and gender related abuses. The guidelines, developed within a UNHCR funded programme in Somalia, are intended to assist staffs, who are concerned with providing protection and assistance to refugees and IDP"

Packages of care for depression in low- and middle-income countries

PATEL, Vikram
SIMON, Gregory
CHOWDHARY, Neerja
KAAYA, Sylvia
ARAYA, Ricardo
October 2009

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This article focuses on the effective management of depression in low- and middle-income countries, reviewing the evidence on efficacy of treatments and delivery of interventions derived from those countries to the extent possible

Packages of care for epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries

MBUBA, Caroline K
NEWTON, Charles R
October 2009

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This article focuses on the management of epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries and recommends a package of care - a combination of interventions aimed at improving the recognition and management of conditions to achieve optimal outcomes - for epilepsy, that is sustainable

Finding online health information to strengthen midwifery confidence : sourcebook for the advanced international training programme on strengthening midwifery competence in sexual and reproductive health and services

GARRETT, Martha J
October 2009

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This is a practical handbook for midwives to help increase their searching skills for electronic information about midwifery and sexual and reproductive health. Such skills help save the users time because by refining the search terms, fewer and more specific search results are generated. The topics covered include: finding and accessing different types of resources; processing the resources you access; finding information for different professional purposes; and finding information on specific topics

Alleviating the burden of responsibility : men as providers of community-based HIV/AIDS care and support in Lesotho

NEWMAN, Constance
September 2009

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This is an overview of a study of men as providers of HIV and AIDS care and support in Lesotho to help address the problems of occupational segregation with regards to human resources for health. Such inequality ..."impedes the development of robust health workforces. In the era of HIV/AIDS, this makes for inequities, inefficiencies and missed opportunities by creating barriers to health workforce entry and limiting the possible pool of formal and nonformal health workers. In Lesotho, as in many other countries, the HIV and AIDS care burden falls on the shoulders of women and girls in unpaid, invisible household and community work. This gender inequity in [human resources for health] needs to be addressed to ensure fair and sustainable responses to the need for home- and community-based HIV/AIDS care and support"

"I washed and fed my mother before going to school" : understanding the psychosocial well-being of children providing chronic care for adults affected by HIV/AIDS in Western Kenya

SKOVDAL, Morten
OGUTU, Vincent O
August 2009

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This paper presents three case studies of young people each of whom is a primary caregiver for a relative living with HIV. They are drawn from a study in Western Kenya of how well children cope with the challenges of chronic care and the psycho-social impact it has on them

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