The World Health Organization (WHO) projects a global shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Contributing to the global deficit are chronic under-investment in education and training of health workers; workforce migration; an aging health wo...rkforce; rapid increases in chronic diseases; and inability to track existing human resources using health information systems. Health care worker shortages are compounded by the increased portability and virulence of infections. Rapid population growth, climate change, deforestation, international travel, migration, poverty, and social inequality have dramatically increased the risk of pandemics and highlighted the need for skilled health workforce to effectively respond to emerging health threats. This is evident now more than ever as COVID-19 exacerbates health inequity and barriers to access, and further strains the already fragile health systems in many countries.
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The Rwanda Malaria Strategic Plan 2020–2024 outlines Rwanda’s national strategy to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality by at least 50% compared to 2019 levels. The vision is a malaria-free Rwanda contributing to socioeconomic development.
The plan includes strengthening prevention through lo...ng-lasting insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and larval source management; ensuring universal access to testing and treatment; improving surveillance and data use; and enhancing program management, coordination, and financing. It also emphasizes community engagement and behavior change to ensure at least 85% of the at-risk population adopts protective practices.
The strategy builds on past lessons, involves multi-sectoral collaboration, and aligns with global malaria goals. It highlights equity, quality services, and evidence-based interventions as guiding principles, aiming to mobilize national and international resources for sustained impact.
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is occurring everywhere in the world, compromising the ability to treat infectious diseases, as well as undermining many other advances in health and medicine. Underlying factors that drive AMR include; weak or absent surveillance and monitoring systems, inadequate sys...tems to ensure quality and uninterrupted supply of medicines, inappropriate and irrational use of medicines including in animal husbandry, poor infection prevention and control practices, and depleted arsenals of diagnostics, medicines and vaccines as well as insufficient research and development of new products.
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Operational Guidelines for the national and district health workers & planners.
These new approaches include use of selective chemotherapy, Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs), Zinc for treatment of cholera in children and complementary use of OCV
The Plan subscribes to the goals and pillars of the WHO Global Technical Strategy against Malaria 2016-2030 (GTS), while presenting key elements to address the specific challenges of the Region.
The framework recommends expanded coverage of malaria diagnostic and treatment services, intensified vector control to drive down transmission, strengthened malaria surveillance, and increased transborder collaboration, especially in terms of efforts to control the sale and use of artemisinin monoth...erapies. Since it is unlikely that national malaria control programs will be able to implement all the activities described in this framework simultaneously, a list of suggested priority activities has been included in the Annex.
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This I-Kit provides essential information and tools for responding to an outbreak using an SBCC approach. It presents a series of nine units, each accompanied by exercise worksheets to help link the SBCC theory to practice.
The worksheets in each section are typically followed by a completed exam...ple. The completed examples will likely include information about an emergency that, during an actual event, might not be immediately available. This was done to illustrate the full range of information to inform a strategic communication response.
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