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Community health worker models in South Africa: a qualitative study on policy implementation of the 2018/19 revised framework

Murphy, J.P.; A. Moolla, S. Kgowedi et al. Health Policy and Planning (2020) C1

South Africa has a long history of community health workers (CHWs). It has been a journey that has required balancing constrained resources and competing priorities. CHWs form a bridge between communities and healthcare service provision within health facilities and act as the cornerstone of South A... more

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World Resources Institute Website

World Resources Institute (2022) CC

WRI develops practical solutions that improve people’s lives and ensure nature can thrive. WRI have deep expertise in policy, research, data analysis, economics, political dynamics and more. WRI work with partners in more than 50 countries and currently have offices in 12 countries: Brazil, Chi... more

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National Policy: Non- Communicable Diseases Secound Edition 2022

Ministry of Health Republic of Ghana; World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) over the years have not been given much attention in Ghana and in most Low and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs). The overwhelming burden of communicable diseases and the scarcity of resources has led to the health of all residents in Ghana, NCDs still remain largely... more

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OCHA Policy Brief on Gendered Drivers, Risks and Impacts of Food Insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2023) CC

It is widely understood that the food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing and most neglected crises. It lacks sufficient global focus, resources and urgency. As in so many crises, women and girls are disproportionately affected and shoulder t...he consequences of protracted neglect, with unconscionable impacts on their safety, life chances and agency. Gaining a holistic view of the gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is difficult. This is due to a lack of data and prioritization, and the large geographical and socioeconomic terrain covered by both regions. However, what we do know about this crisis is more than enough to urgently address the needs of women and girls. An OCHA discussion paper on this topic (which will be published imminently, and from which this policy brief is drawn) found that there is: A strong risk of profound regression in gender equality gains made to date in the countries of concern, including on education, sexual and reproductive health, and the economic independence of women and girls (with knock-on effects on broader humanitarian and development outcomes). An increasing challenge to reverse what must be recognized as a protracted and growing gender-based violence (GBV) emergency in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is protracted, multidimensional and highly gendered, with spiralling impacts on gender equality and food security outcomes. It is driven by interwoven and overlapping factors, including climate change, political instability, conflict, socioeconomic conditions, migration and displacement and, more recently, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Interlinked with these factors are gendered structural drivers of food insecurity, including deeply entrenched gender inequalities and harmful social norms. Gendered risks and impacts of food insecurity include alarming limitations on access to education, sexual and reproductive health rights, women’s agency and participation, and dramatic increases in different existing forms of GBV and the emergence of new ones. Recognition of such gendered dimensions of food insecurity and of the need for a multisectoral approach in the response is key to addressing the crisis, along-side sustained commitment and adequate allocation of resources. This policy brief draws out key findings from the OCHA discussion paper on this topic, which includes a desk review of studies, assessments and reports, and interviews with local women’s organizations on the front lines of the food insecurity crisis in communities across both regions. Below are the most pressing gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity (not in order of priority), as well as key gaps in the current humanitarian response to food insecurity, and recommendations to take forward. more

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Resources for Substance Use Disorders

World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Organization (WHO) (2024) C_WHO

Welcome to the Global Information System on Resources for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders. These pages present data collected from WHO Member States in broad categories: governance, policy and financing, service organization and delivery, human resources and national informat... more

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Health workforce policy and management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic response

World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

This guide is available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese This guide consolidates COVID-19 guidance for human resources for health managers and policy-makers at national, subnational and facility levels to design, manage and preserve the workforce necessary to manage the COVI... more

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Donor funding health policy and systems research in low- and middle-income countries: how much, from where and to whom

Grépin, K.; Pinkstaff C.B.; Z. C. Shroff et al. Health Research Policy and Systems (2017) C1

Background: The need for sufficient and reliable funding to support health policy and systems research (HPSR) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been widely recognised. Currently, most resources to support such activities come from traditional development assistance for health (DAH) don... more

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Mental health policy developments in Latin America

R.D. Alarcón & S.A. Aguilar-Gaxiola Bulletin of the World Health Organization (2000) C_WHO

New assessment guidelines for measuring the overall impact of mental health problems in Latin America have served as a catalyst for countries to review their mental health policies. Latin American countries have taken various steps to address long-standing problems such as structural difficulties, s... more

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CHW Central. A Global Resource for and about Community Health Workers

CHW Central (2019) CC

CHW Central is an online community of practice that brings together program managers, experts, practitioners, researchers, and supporters of CHW programs. The website is a virtual meeting place to share resources and experiences and to discuss and develop questions and ideas on CHW programs and poli... more

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Developing and Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs at Scale, A Reference Guide for Program Managers and Policy Makers

USAID, MCHIP (2013) CC

Recently, a renewed interest in large-scale community health worker (CHW) programs has been seen globally. This renewal provides an opportune moment to take stock of issues and challenges such programs face and what can be done to make them as effective as possible. With this in mind, this manual is... more

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Infrastructure, policy and regulatory interventions to increase physical activity to prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes: a systematic review

Durão, S.; Burns, J.; Schmidt, B. et al. BMC Public Health (2023) CC

Background Noncommunicable diseases are major contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Modifying the risk factors for these conditions, such as physical inactivity, is thus essential. Addressing the context or circumstances in which physical activity occurs may promote physical activity a...t a population level. We assessed the effects of infrastructure, policy or regulatory interventions for increasing physical activity. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase and clinicaltrials.gov to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled before-after (CBAs) studies, and interrupted time series (ITS) studies assessing population-level infrastructure or policy and regulatory interventions to increase physical activity. We were interested in the effects of these interventions on physical activity, body weight and related measures, blood pressure, and CVD and type 2 diabetes morbidity and mortality, and on other secondary outcomes. Screening and data extraction was done in duplicate, with risk of bias was using an adapted Cochrane risk of bias tool. Due to high levels of heterogeneity, we synthesised the evidence based on effect direction. Results We included 33 studies, mostly conducted in high-income countries. Of these, 13 assessed infrastructure changes to green or other spaces to promote physical activity and 18 infrastructure changes to promote active transport. The effects of identified interventions on physical activity, body weight and blood pressure varied across studies (very low certainty evidence); thus, we remain very uncertain about the effects of these interventions. Two studies assessed the effects of policy and regulatory interventions; one provided free access to physical activity facilities and showed that it may have beneficial effects on physical activity (low certainty evidence). The other provided free bus travel for youth, with intervention effects varying across studies (very low certainty evidence). Conclusions Evidence from 33 studies assessing infrastructure, policy and regulatory interventions for increasing physical activity showed varying results. The certainty of the evidence was mostly very low, due to study designs included and inconsistent findings between studies. Despite this drawback, the evidence indicates that providing access to physical activity facilities may be beneficial; however this finding is based on only one study. Implementation of these interventions requires full consideration of contextual factors, especially in low resource settings. more

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Measuring the availability of human resources for health and its relationship to universal health coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019
recommended

GBD 2019 Human Resources for Health Collaborators The Lancet (2022) CC

A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Vol.399 Issue 10341 p.2129-2154 Human resources for health (HRH) include a range of occupations that aim to promote or improve human health. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the WHO Health Workforce 2030 s... more

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The Lancet COVID-19 Resource Centre

The Lancet The Lancet (2021) C2

Welcome to the Lancet COVID-19 Resource Centre, bringing together all COVID-19 research, reviews, commentary, news, and analysis from across the Lancet family of journals as it is published. The resource aims to assist health workers, policy makers, and researchers to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to ... more

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Support tool to strengthen telemedicine: resource for assessment, strategy development, and strengthening of telemedicine services

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2024) C_WHO

This resource presents a comprehensive framework designed to enhance and streamline telemedicine services within health-care systems. It addresses the critical need for accessible and effective telemedicine solutions, especially in the face of global health challenges and the evolving demands on hea... more

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Brazil‘s Social Policy Response to Covid-19: Healthcare and Poverty Alleviation

Massard da Fonseca, E.; Arantes Beatriz, L. B.; Portella, C. Global Dynamics of Social Policy; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (2022) CC

During the pandemic, Brazil has provided its citizens with support in the areas of long-term care and disability, the labor market, social assistance, education, and pensions. This report focuses on two social policy areas, health-care and family benefits (including labor policies), as these were th... more

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The Child Safeguarding Policy of CBM

Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM) (2014)

CBM’s Child Safeguarding Policy is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 (and its optional protocols); the national child protection legislation of Germany as well as that of the CBM program countries and the Keeping Children Safe Standards. This policy has been created beca... more

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The WHO mental health policy and service guidance package

World Health Organization WHO (2006) C_WHO

Checklists and 13 user-friendly modules to support policy development and service planning. You can download the different modules directly from the website: https://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/essentialpackage1/en/ The purpose of the guidance package is to assist policy-makers and planner... more

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Primary health care and HIV: convergent actions - Policy considerations for decision-makers

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

The 2030 health-related Sustainable Development Goals call on countries to end AIDS as a public health threat and also to achieve universal health coverage. The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes primary health care (PHC) as the key mechanism for achieving universal health coverage, and the PH... more

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Strengthening mental health responses to COVID-19 in the Americas: A health policy analysis and recommendations

A. Tausch; Oliveira e Souza, R.; Martinez Viciana, C.; et al. Pan American Health Organization (2021) CC

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on the mental health of populations in the Americas. Studies show high rates of depression and anxiety, among other psychological symptoms, particularly among women, young people, those with pre-existing mental health conditions, health workers, and p... more

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Bridging the gap between ethics and decision-making in pandemics - Report of the WHO Pandemic Ethics and Policy Summit

World Health Organization WHO OCHA Services reliefweb (2022) C_WHO

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised profound ethical challenges on an unprecedented global scale. These challenges include how to allocate scarce resources (especially vaccines and therapeutics), both within and between countries, whether and when to mandate vaccines and/or masks, whether and how to co... more

Measuring the availability of human resources for health and its relationship to universal health coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019 recommended

Measuring the availability of human resources for health and its relationship to universal health coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019
recommended