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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The Plan of Action for Malaria Elimination 2021-2025 has been developed in consultation with countries and regional partners as a framework of reference to guide the efforts of countries and the contributions of donors and partners towards elimination of the disease in the Americas. The Plan subscri...bes 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 document seeks to guide national plans and promote an inter-programmatic- intersectoral approach, and joint efforts between countries and partners. The Plan is also the reference framework for PAHO technical cooperation in malaria in the period 2021-2025. The goals to be achieved require changes in action against malaria that must occur at the operations level and for which regulatory and policy adjustments are required from the national levels. Thus, the Plan promotes a systematic action of detection, diagnosis and response, which must be massively implemented and monitored programmatically. A main element of change is action aimed at recognizing the need to address key malaria foci in each country with specific, information-based operational solutions. The Plan of Action seeks to promote these changes in malaria programs in the countries and through the interactions among all actors. The model proposed in this plan is based on a cross-functional dialogue and interconnections across the lines of action (SL). Strategic lines 1, 2 and 3, which correspond to the three pillars of the WHO/GTS, complement each other, and are not designed to function independently. The idea of the consolidated supportive elements - strengthened health systems, strategic planning, financing, partnerships, advocacy, and operational research (SL 4) is to provide the platform, operational structures and alliances for the more specific malaria interventions presented in strategic lines 1, 2 and 3.
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Adapted from: Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicine List PHC. The syndromic approach to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) diagnosis
and management is to treat the signs or symptoms (syndrome) of a group of
diseases rather than treating a specific disease. This allows for the tr...eatment
of one or more conditions that often occur at the same time and has been
accepted as the management of choice.
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Tuberculosis (TB) is among the top ten most common causes of death globally and as a single infectious disease it top among infectious diseases. Furthermore, it is noted as the top causes of death among people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Despite recent decreases in the numb...er of notified cases, Namibia still has a high TB burden and is included among the top 30 high-burden TB countries by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In the 2018 Global TB Report, the estimated incidence rate of TB in Namibia was 423/100,000. The same report estimated that 60 people per 100,000 populations died of TB in Namibia, which is a concern, for a disease that is curable and preventable.
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BMJ Open Quality 2017;6:e000145. doi:10.1136/
bmjoq-2017-000145Although there are many evidence-based practices that reduce the risk of maternal and neonatal mortality around the time of birth, there remains a gap between what is known and the care received. This knowdo gap is a source of preventab...le maternal and perinatal deaths and is the focus of improvement efforts in many countries. Following an increase in perinatal and maternal deaths, Gobabis District Hospital initiated a quality improvement (QI) initiative to increase adherence to these WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC)-targeted essential birth practices.
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The "Integrated Management of Malaria Training – Health Worker’s Manual" is a practical guide developed by Uganda’s Ministry of Health to train healthcare workers at all levels in the effective diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management of malaria. It aligns with national malaria treatme...nt guidelines and aims to improve the quality of care and reduce malaria-related illness and death. The manual covers key topics such as clinical assessment of fever, use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), case management of uncomplicated and severe malaria, malaria in pregnancy, co-infections like HIV, as well as community engagement and proper documentation. It includes structured training sessions, case studies, and job aids designed to strengthen the skills of health workers in both public and private sectors, and to ensure standardized, evidence-based malaria care across the country.
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Implementation reference guide. This Malaria Surveillance Assessment Toolkit implementation reference guide is a comprehensive reference document, as well as a step by-step guide. It aligns and adapts available tools into a single set of standardized tools, which can be used to conduct malaria surve...illance assessments across all transmission settings. Use of these standardized tools allows comparison of results between countries and within the same country over time, enabling countries to track their progress towards surveillance system strengthening.
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Fragile Beginnings. The Fragile Beginnings series examines the growing body of research on the unique vulnerabilities of children: in utero and at birth, during infancy and childhood and throughout adolescence. Its purpose is to enable evidence-based advocacy and action on children’s environmental... health
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Malaria Journal (2021) 20:190
For practitioners in humanitarian and development contexts
Guide dédié à la formation des agents de changement sur la sensibilisation à la lutte contre le paludisme en milieu communautaire.
Ce guide se concentre sur le processus impliqué dans l’adoption de nouvelles attitudes et développe une stratégie de conscientisation et de mobilisation social...e visant à l’appropriation des populations de la lutte contre le paludisme à travers le pays. Au-delà du personnel sanitaire chargé de programmes sur le paludisme, la campagne s’adresse directement aux habitants des communautés bénéficiaires. Ainsi, elle tient compte des orientations du plan stratégique national de lutte contre le paludisme.
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CBDRR Practice. Case Studies 5
No publication year indicated.