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Kenya national action plan on antimicrobial resistance: review of progress in the human health sector

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

This policy brief aims to provide a review of the current progress on implementing the Kenya national action plan on AMR, identifies critical gaps, and highlights findings to accelerate further progress in the human health sector. The target audience includes all those concerned with implementing ac... more

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Maternal Health Indicators in High-Priority Counties of Kenya

Samwel Mbugua, Kerry L. D. MacQuarrie ICF (2018) C2

Levels and Inequities
DHS Further Analysis Reports No. 110
This study shows large variations in maternal health indicators across high-priority counties in Kenya. Nairobi exceeds the national average on all maternal health indicators in this study, while other highpriority counties consist... more

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Promoting recovery in mental health and related services: handbook for personal use and teaching WHO QualityRights training to act, unite and empower for mental health (P I L O T V E R S I O N)

World Health Organization WHO (2017) C_WHO

This handbook and teaching guide on recovery has been designed to complement the QualityRights training module on Promoting Recovery in Mental Health and Related Services. The handbook and teaching guide covers much of the same material, but also contains additional text and exercises. It can be giv... more

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Building health system resilience to public health challenges: guidance for implementation in countries

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

Health system resilience is not an inevitable byproduct of any investment in health but must be intentionally programmed and developed with necessary input, investment and contextualization. This technical product aims to guide national, subnational, and global health actors to operationalize the co... more

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Water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities: status in low and middle income countries and way forward.

Maria Neira, Edward Kelley, Mickey Chopra et al. World Health Organization, UNICEF (2015)

This report presents, for the first time, a global assessment of the extent to which health care facilities provide essential water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. Drawing on data from 54 low- and middle-income countries, the report concludes that 38% lack access to even rudimentary levels ... more

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Rights-based knowledge creation in sexual and reproductive health. An introductory guide

B. Subha Sri Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM) (2022) C2

Human rights-based approaches to the creation of knowledge involve application of human rights principles to both the content and process of knowledge creation. Human rights-based approaches have special significance for the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of all people, in particul... more

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Adjusting health financing for people fleeing conflict: policy guidance for countries in Europe

World Health Organization WHO, Regional Office of Europe (2022) C_WHO

This policy paper outlines key health financing policy actions for countries to ensure universal access to health services and financial protection for people fleeing conflict. It focuses on three policy areas – granting entitlement and ensure access to the full range of needed health services for... more

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Kangaroo mother care: a transformative innovation in health care

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2023) C_WHO

This document puts forward the joint position and vision of an expert, global, multistakeholder working group on implementing Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for all preterm or low birth weight (LBW) infants as the foundation for small and/or sick newborn care within maternal, newborn, and child health p... more

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WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care

World Health Organization WHO (2009) C_WHO

First Global Patient Safety Challenge Clean Care is Safer Care The WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care provide health-care workers (HCWs), hospital administrators and health authorities with a thorough review of evidence on hand hygiene in health care and specific recommendations to impro... more

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HEARTS. Technical package for cardiovascular disease management in primary health care. Systems of Monitoring

World Health Organization WHO, et al. (2018) C_WHO

Monitoring is a crucial element in any successful programme. It is important to know if health care facilities – and ultimately countries – are meeting the agreed goals and objectives for preventing and managing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Monitoring is the on-going collection, management ...and use of information to assess whether an activity or programme is proceeding according to plan and/ or achieving defined targets. Not all outcomes of interest can be monitored. Clear outcomes must be identified that relate to the most important changes expected to result from the project and to what is realistic and measurable within the timescale of the project. Once these outcomes have been articulated, indicators can be chosen that best measure whether the desired outcomes are being met. To allow progress to be monitored, this module provides a set of indicators on CVD management. Agreeing on a set of indicators allows countries to compare progress in CVD management and treatment across different districts or subnational jurisdictions, as well as at a facility level, identify where performance can be improved, and track trends in implementation over time. Monitoring these indicators also helps identify problems that may be encountered so that implementation efforts can be redirected. This module starts from the collection of data at facility level, which is then “transferred up” the system: facility-level data are aggregated at subnational level to produce reports that allow tracking of facility and subnational performance over time and allow for comparison among facilities. National-level data are obtained through population-based surveys. Implementing a monitoring system requires action at many levels. At national and subnational levels, staff can determine how best to integrate data elements into existing data collection systems – such as the routine service-delivery data that are collected through facility-level Health Management Information Systems (HMIS). In the facility setting, personnel must be aware of what data are needed. Sample data-collection tools are included, recognizing that countries use different datamanagement systems for HMIS, so the CVD monitoring tools will be adapted to work with the HMIS system being used by the country, such that the indicators can be collected with minimal disruption/work to existing systems and tools more

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Beat the heat: Child health amid heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia

UN Children's Fund UNICEF (2024) CC

Beat the heat: child health amid heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia finds that half of these children died from heat-related illnesses in their first year of life. Most children died during the summer months. "Around half of children across Europe and Central Asia – or 92 million children –... are already exposed to frequent heatwaves in a region where temperatures are rising at the fastest rate globally. The increasingly high temperatures can have serious health complications for children, especially the youngest children, even in a short space of time. Without care, these complications can be life-threatening,” said Regina De Dominicis UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. Heat exposure has acute effects on children, even before they are born, and can result in pre-term births, low birth weight, stillbirth, and congenital anomalies. Heat stress is a direct cause of infant mortality, can affect infant growth and cause a range of paediatric diseases. The report also notes that extreme heat caused the loss of more than 32,000 years of healthy life among children and teenagers in the region. As the temperatures continue to rise, UNICEF urges governments across Europe and Central Asia to: - Integrate strategies to reduce the impact of heatwaves including through National Determined Contributions (NDC), National Adaptation Plans (NAP), and disaster risk reduction and disaster management policies with children at the centre of these plans Invest in heat health action plans and primary health care to more adequately support heat-related illness among children - Invest in early warning systems, including heat alert systems - Adapt education facilities to reduce the temperatures in the areas children play in and equip teachers with skills to respond to heat stress - Adapt urban design and infrastructure including ensuring buildings, particularly those housing the most vulnerable communities are equipped to minimize heat exposure - Secure the provision of safe water, particularly in countries with deteriorating water quality and availability. UNICEF works with governments, partners and communities across the region to build resilience against heatwaves. This includes equipping teachers, community health workers and families with the skills and knowledge to respond to heat stress. more

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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

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. more

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Health workforce development and retention in Guinea: a policy analysis post-Ebola

van de Pas R., Kolie D., Delamou A., Van Damme W. BMC - Biomed Central (2019) CC

The state of the Guinean health workforce is one of the country’s bottlenecks in advancing health outcomes. The impact of the 2014–2015 Ebola virus disease outbreak and resulting international attention has provided a policy window to invest in the workforce and reform the health system. This re... more

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The Mexico Declaration: Improving Circulatory Health for All People

World Heart Federation (2016) CC

The Mexico Declaration for Circulatory Health brings together global health organizations committed to improving circulatory health and reducing deaths and disability from heart disease and stroke around the world. These diseases presently represent the biggest health burden world-wide, accounting ... more

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Evaluation of WHO's contribution to maternal health in the South-East Asia Region

World Health Organization (WHO), Regional Office for South-East-Asia (2016) C_WHO

The Report describes the evaluation of WHO's contribution to the Maternal Health Program in South-East Asia Region. This was an independent evaluation conducted in 2015 by Amaltas, a Delhi based organization. The evaluation highlights the progress in five countries, namely Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mya... more

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WHO-AIMS Report on mental health system in Ghana

World Health Organization WHO WHO (2011) C_WHO

The World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS) was used to collect information on the mental health system in Ghana for the year 2011. The goal of collecting this information is to improve the mental health system and to provide a baseline for monitoring the... more

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Healing minds, changing lives : a movement for community-based mental health care in Peru – delivery innovations in a low-income community, 2013-2016

World Bank (2018) CC

This report explores community-focused change initiatives in the financing, organization, and delivery of mental health services in Peru from 2013 to 2016. It examines the national dimension of reforms but focuses above all on implementation and results in the economically fragile district of Caraba... more

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Comprehensive Evaluation of the Community Health Program in Rwanda (FINAL REPORT)

Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health (CMNH), from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) (2016) C2

The objective of the evaluation is to understand whether the CHW program has achieved its intended objectives, thus contributing to the overarching objectives defined in the HSSP III of improving the health status of the population by “Ensuring universal accessibility of quality health services fo... more

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Impact of health systems strengthening on coverage of maternal health services in Rwanda, 2000–2010: a systematic review

Maurice Bucagu, Jean M. Kagubare, Paulin Basinga, Fidèle Ngabo, Barbara K Timmons & Angela C Lee Reproductive Health Matters (2012) CC

From 2000 to 2010, Rwanda implemented comprehensive health sector reforms to strengthen the public health system, with the aim of reducing maternal and newborn deaths in line with Millennium Development Goal 5, among many other improvements in national health. Based on a systematic review of the lit... more

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The nature and contribution of innovative health financing mechanisms in the World Health Organization African region: A scoping review

Nabyonga-Orem J., Christmals C.D., Addai K.F. et al. Journal of Global Health (2023) CC

Achieving financial risk protection for the whole population requires significant financing for health. Health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are plagued with persistent underfunding, and recent reductions in official development assistance have been registered. To create fiscal ... more