Tuberculosis cases, TB deaths
In contrast to bilateral aid, aid disbursed from
multilateral institutions increased significantly at the onset
of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, at a time when a coherent
and effective multilateral response is needed most, the
COVID-19 pandemic revealed a shifting landscape of donor
agencies that... struggle with basic functions, such as crossnational coordination. While multilaterals are uniquely
positioned to transcend national priorities and respond
to pandemics, functionally we find official development
assistance (ODA) from these entities may increasingly
mimic the attributes of bilateral aid. We explore three
important, but not comprehensive, attributes of aid leading
up to and during the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) earmarking,
(2) donor concentration and (3) aid modality.
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The relative priority received by issues
in global health agendas is subjected to impressionistic
claims in the absence of objective methods of assessment
of priority. To build an approach for conducting structured
assessments of comparative priority health issues receive,
we expand the public ...arenas model (2021) and offer a
framework for future assessments of health issue priority
in global and national health agendas.
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Zambia is facing a severe economic crisis marked by high inflation, increasing poverty and a heavy debt burden that is straining both its fiscal stability and progress in health outcomes. By 2020, the country's external debt reached United States dollars (USD) 12.7 billion, representing 108% of the ...country's gross domestic product (GDP). In 2020, Zambia sought assistance through the G20 Common Framework and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Credit Facility (ECF), securing a USD 1.7 billion loan over 5 years. IMF loans, however, come with austerity measures that prioritise fiscal discipline but could potentially exacerbate social inequalities. These measures, which include increasing consumer taxes on goods and services (value added taxes - VATs), electricity tariffs and fuel prices, disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, raising concerns about their long-term effects on essential services, especially accessible and good quality healthcare services.
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In 2019, the Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health concluded that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages were a highly effective but greatly underused policy tool to reduce consumption, save lives, and raise domestic resources. The Task Force estimated that if all countries increa...sed their excise taxes to raise prices by 50 percent, over 50 million premature deaths could be averted worldwide over the next 50 years while
raising over USD 20 trillion of additional revenue. Since the Task Force first convened, the world has faced a “polycrisis,” including a global pandemic, an economic recession, and the outbreak of wars in Europe and the Middle East. Against this backdrop, the world has also experienced prolonged health and fiscal crises. Health systems, weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, lack sufficient financing to rebuild and respond to the surging noncommunicable diseases epidemic caused by uncontrolled risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and sugar consumption. Opportunities to raise domestic resources are limited and debt burdens have squeezed budgets. The period from 2019 to 2027 risks becoming a “lost decade” for health and social policies, with 110 countries facing little prospect of any
ability to raise government revenues beyond current levels. In this paper, we describe the current health and fiscal crises and review the contribution that health taxes could make in turning around this dire situation. We conclude that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and
sugar-sweetened beverages are an ideal policy solution—good for the budget and good for health. These taxes are relatively quick to implement, and, unlike other taxes, do not put economic growth at risk—a vital benefit in the current era.
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Este manual ofrece directrices prácticas para el manejo adecuado de las pruebas de diagnóstico rápido (PDR) de la malaria, destinadas al personal que trabaja en almacenes centrales, regionales y periféricos del sistema de salud. Su propósito principal es garantizar la integridad y eficacia de e...stas pruebas desde su recepción hasta su uso final.
Se destacan aspectos clave como la correcta recepción e inspección visual de los envíos, la verificación de daños, caducidad y componentes faltantes. Se proporcionan recomendaciones detalladas para el almacenamiento, incluyendo el control riguroso de la temperatura (idealmente entre 2 °C y 30 °C), la ventilación de los espacios, y el apilamiento seguro de las cajas.
Además, el manual aborda la gestión de inventarios con el uso de tarjetas de control, la rotación de productos bajo el principio “primero en caducar, primero en salir” (PEPS), y la realización de inventarios físicos regulares. También se detallan las buenas prácticas para el transporte por tierra, aire y agua, subrayando la importancia de proteger las pruebas del calor y de planificar bien los envíos.
Por último, se abordan medidas para la correcta gestión de residuos generados por las PDR, diferenciando entre desechos peligrosos (como lancetas, dispositivos usados y guantes contaminados) y desechos generales. Se incluyen recomendaciones para su separación, almacenamiento temporal y eliminación segura, adaptadas a contextos con recursos limitados.
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Este manual está dirigido al personal de salud que trabaja en establecimientos periféricos y que utiliza pruebas de diagnóstico rápido (PDR) para la malaria. Proporciona instrucciones prácticas para garantizar el buen funcionamiento de estas pruebas en condiciones muchas veces difíciles, espec...ialmente en zonas remotas y de clima cálido.
Se explican procedimientos clave para la recepción de las pruebas (verificación de daños, caducidad, condiciones de transporte), el almacenamiento (selección del lugar más fresco, control de temperatura, ventilación, uso de métodos sencillos como depósitos en el suelo o contenedores que enfrían por evaporación) y el transporte seguro, ya sea por tierra o agua, con especial atención a evitar la exposición al calor.
Además, el manual incluye pautas para la gestión de inventarios, la rotación de existencias (usando primero las pruebas con vencimiento más próximo), y el registro del uso para evitar desperdicios y asegurar la disponibilidad continua.
Finalmente, se aborda la gestión de desechos peligrosos y generales generados por el uso de las pruebas, promoviendo su separación adecuada, almacenamiento seguro y eliminación apropiada (como fosas protegidas o incineración controlada), con el fin de proteger al personal y a la comunidad.
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