The coronavirus outbreak that began in 2019 (COVID-19) threatens to reverse years of hard-won gains in preventing and treating HIV. Fragile health systems are further stressed as health workers navigate an increased client load and demands at work while also being concerned for their own health and ...that of their families. Health facilities have been redesigned to care for patients with COVID-19, posing challenges to other services. Governments and civil society organizations have redirected scarce resources and shifted programming priorities to respond to the pandemic. Several countries have reported intermittent declines in HIV testing and diagnosis, antenatal care visits, collection of antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) by people living with HIV, and attendance at clinic appointments. Community-based education and support programmes have had to rapidly adapt to restrictions on movement and public gatherings. Children, adolescents, and women have experienced multiple deprivations due to the adverse impact of the pandemic.
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A Focus on the Journey to Self-Reliance for Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths . June 2018
The 2018 Acting on the Call report focuses on 25 countries’ journeys to self-reliance for preventing child and maternal deaths. Self-reliance is a country’s ability to finance and implement solution...s to its own development challenges. Understanding where countries lie on this effort - known as the journey to self-reliance - helps USAID to best partner with countries and support their efforts.
The report looks at the health status of 25 priority countries as well as the current capacity of the health system to meet the needs of women and children. In the report, we recount progress since the 2012 Call to Action as well as identify gaps in order to inform future programming and areas that need strengthening during the journey to self-reliance. For the first time ever, we’ve calculated the return on our investment to eliminate bottlenecks to improving health services.
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The primary aim of this assessment is to evaluate current approaches to malaria surveillance in Myanmar and to provide a set of practical and feasible recommendations to further strengthen the surveillance system in the short to medium term. The assessment focuses on the surveillance of malaria case...s (as distinct from more general surveillance to support monitoring and evaluation) and, more specifically, on instruments and systems to collect, collate, report and analyse malaria data as a basis for informing malaria control policy and practice.
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Globally, the cancer burden is rising, exerting significant strain on
populations and health systems at all levels of income. There are
concerted efforts towards enhancing access to comprehensive
cancer prevention and control initiatives.
Community health workers (CHWs) play a vital role in health service delivery, especially in countries with less resilient health systems. During any outbreak CHWs are relied on to help control the spread. However, they are often the last in line to receive necessary health products and protective eq...uipment, which affects their ability to safely serve their communities.
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IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 21.8 MILLION (US$30 MILLION EQUIVALENT) WITH AN ADDITIONAL GRANT FROM THE GLOBAL FINANCING FACILITY (GFF) IN THE AMOUNT OF US$ 10 MILLION TO THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO FOR A HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING PROJECT
Countries can use this tool to collect in-depth facility inventories of biomedical equipment re-allocation, procurement and planning for COVID-19 case management. The survey assesses quantified availability and the causes for non-functioning of different sources of oxygen delivery and supply systems... to the patient in order to determine priorities and re-allocation requirements in accordance with needs.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global deaths, with the majority occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The primary and secondary prevention of CVD is suboptimal throughout the world, but the evidence-practice gaps are much more pronounced in LMIC. Barriers at the... patient, health-care provider, and health system level prevent the implementation of optimal primary and secondary prevention. Identification of the particular barriers that exist in resource-constrained settings is necessary to inform effective strategies to reduce the identified evidence-practice gaps. Furthermore, targeting modifiable factors that contribute most significantly to the global burden of CVD, including tobacco use, hypertension, and secondary prevention for CVD will lead to the biggest gains in mortality reduction. We review a select number of novel, resource-efficient strategies to reduce premature mortality from CVD, including: (1) effective measures for tobacco control; (2) implementation of simplified screening and management algorithms for those with or at risk of CVD, (3) increasing the availability and affordability of simplified and cost-effective treatment regimens including combination CVD preventive drug therapy, and (4) simplified delivery of health care through task-sharing (non-physician health workers) and optimizing self-management (treatment supporters). Developing and deploying systems of care that address barriers related to the above, will lead to substantial reductions in CVD and related mortality.
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The WHO Guide on Cholera Control in Complex Emergencies provides key steps for preparedness, prevention, and response to cholera and other diarrheal diseases in crisis situations. It highlights the importance of early warning systems, rapid response, and coordination among health agencies. The guide... outlines measures for case management, water sanitation, hygiene promotion, and outbreak containment, particularly in refugee camps and disaster-affected areas. It emphasizes community involvement, surveillance, and proper health infrastructure to reduce mortality and control disease spread in vulnerable populations.
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This guidance describes a catalogue of indicators for maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (MNCAH) that can be monitored through health management information system data. It is a module of the WHO Toolkit for Routine Health Information Systems (RHIS) Data and links to relevant indicators ...from other programmatic modules of the WHO toolkit. The document provides guidance on possible analysis and visualization of the indicators, including considerations for interpreting and using the data for decision-making. An annex on data quality considerations for MNCAH managers provides suggestions for reviewing and interpreting routine health facility data through a quality lens.
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The goal of this contingency plan for El Nino related epidemics is to contribute to the reduction in mortality and morbidity associated with El Nino epidemic threats by ensuring that appropriate systems to support health emergency preparedness, timely response and post disaster recovery and mitigati...on are in place at the national, district, health facility and community levels in Rwanda.
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The BRM ATP is an advanced course in biorisk management. The 10-day train-the-trainer course introduces the concept of biorisk management, which combines risk assessment, risk mitigation, and performance systems (AMP). The course also includes a cutting-edge training component based on the latest sc...ience and theory behind accelerated and adult learning
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Усиление мер реагирования системздравоохранения на COVID-19: техническое руководство № 3: поставки основныхлекарственных препаратов и медицинских приборов, 6 апреля ...2020 г
Strengthening the health systems response to COVID-19: technical guidance #3: supply of essential medicines and health technologies, 6 April 2020
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With the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing energy and cost-of-living crises, many OECD countries have had to face significant economic and societal challenges over the last five years. The succession of crises has had important implications for health systems and the available resources allocated to... health. This policy brief examines the recent trends in health spending and discusses what is driving the latest spending trajectory.
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Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at
risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have
consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health.
In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to
213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals
per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more
Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance.
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The National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination in India (2023-2027) focuses on achieving malaria elimination by 2030, in alignment with the Global Technical Strategy. The document outlines the strategies, targets, and goals for malaria elimination, aiming for zero indigenous malaria cases by 20...27. It emphasizes district-based planning, robust surveillance systems, and enhancing case management and vector control. The plan stresses the importance of universal access to treatment, prevention, and data-driven decision-making. Furthermore, it encourages innovation and research in malaria elimination efforts, fostering multisectoral coordination and community engagement.
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Observatory report by Médecins du Monde/Doctors of the World Germany:“Deprived of the right to health. Sick and without medical care in Germany” gives a rare insight into the situation of those who have no or only limited access to the German health system.
Ukraine: Russian invasion has forced older people with disabilities to endure isolation and neglect – new report
Many temporary shelters inaccessible to people with physical disabilities
Overburdened care system often provides few alternatives to institutions for older people
Authorities ...and humanitarian actors must ensure an inclusive response
Displaced older people with disabilities in Ukraine are physically and financially unable to access adequate housing and care amid Russia’s ongoing invasion, sometimes leaving few alternatives to being placed in residential institutions, Amnesty International said in a new report.
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The Indigenous tribe called the Wiwa lives retracted in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Little is known about their health status and whether the health care system in place covers their needs.
It is now well known that there is a pandemic of Type 2 Diabetes in the world particularly in developing countries. This fact has several implications for the health care system in the developing countries because this condition is associated with metabolic and vascular complications which in turn i...ncreases the mortality and health care costs and compromises the quality and life expectancy of the society.
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