Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309869
A. Guisset, P. Travis, S. Bagheri Nejad, R. Ved, K. Rouleau
{"title":"Unpacking the service delivery function: COVID-19 provides an opportunity for some reverse thinking","authors":"A. Guisset, P. Travis, S. Bagheri Nejad, R. Ved, K. Rouleau","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309869","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309869","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75081370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309880
V. Tangcharoensathien
{"title":"Deep impacts of COVID-19: overcoming challenges in strengthening primary health care by targeting the health workforce","authors":"V. Tangcharoensathien","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309880","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309880","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84323711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309884
Sangay Wangmo, Shila Sarkar, Tasmia Islam, Md Rahman, M. Landry
In the initial phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis, Bangladesh’s health systems faced competing demands to respond to the pandemic and concurrently maintain the continuity of essential health service delivery, particularly at the primary care level. Bangladesh’s established network of primary care health facilities, the country’s backbone for delivering essential health services, routinely feed data into the national health information system, the District Health Information Software 2 platform, which provides near real-time data on the utilization of essential health services, visualized through user-friendly integrated dashboards. Trend analyses of these data showed that by April and May 2020 there had been sharp reductions in the utilization of key essential health services across all levels of care. Early and continuous monitoring and analysis of these data informed public health policy-makers and health facility managers on rapid response strategies to restore the availability and use of essential health services. Through corrective policy measures and targeted interventions, Bangladesh’s primary health care network provided a critical platform for Bangladesh to build back most of its essential health services by October 2020. Bangladesh’s experience highlights the critical role of primary-level health facilities as a touchpoint for monitoring population access to services and as a staging point for implementation of strategies and interventions that rebuild and strengthen health service delivery towards achieving universal health coverage and more resilient health systems.
{"title":"Maintaining essential health services during the pandemic in Bangladesh: the role of primary health care supported by routine health information system","authors":"Sangay Wangmo, Shila Sarkar, Tasmia Islam, Md Rahman, M. Landry","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309884","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309884","url":null,"abstract":"In the initial phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis, Bangladesh’s health systems faced competing demands to respond to the pandemic and concurrently maintain the continuity of essential health service delivery, particularly at the primary care level. Bangladesh’s established network of primary care health facilities, the country’s backbone for delivering essential health services, routinely feed data into the national health information system, the District Health Information Software 2 platform, which provides near real-time data on the utilization of essential health services, visualized through user-friendly integrated dashboards. Trend analyses of these data showed that by April and May 2020 there had been sharp reductions in the utilization of key essential health services across all levels of care. Early and continuous monitoring and analysis of these data informed public health policy-makers and health facility managers on rapid response strategies to restore the availability and use of essential health services. Through corrective policy measures and targeted interventions, Bangladesh’s primary health care network provided a critical platform for Bangladesh to build back most of its essential health services by October 2020. Bangladesh’s experience highlights the critical role of primary-level health facilities as a touchpoint for monitoring population access to services and as a staging point for implementation of strategies and interventions that rebuild and strengthen health service delivery towards achieving universal health coverage and more resilient health systems.","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79045031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309870
S. Bahl, S. Khanal, M. Sharifuzzaman, J. Liyanage
{"title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immunization and surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases in the WHO South-East Asia Region","authors":"S. Bahl, S. Khanal, M. Sharifuzzaman, J. Liyanage","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309870","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309870","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91231377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309881
T. Zapata, M. Zakoji, Mikiko Kanda, P. Travis, V. Tangcharoensathien, J. Buchan, M. Jhalani
Background Health workers are the cornerstone of primary health care (PHC) services, the delivery of an effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response and progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region committed to the Decade for Health Workforce Strengthening 2015–2024, and UHC became a regional flagship with a focus on strengthening the health workforce. Since its inception, three rounds of monitoring with standardized indicators have been completed. Methods In 2019, data on human resources for health were collected through the National Health Workforce Accounts online platform by the country focal points; this was complemented by a regional online consultation in June 2020. A mid-term review report on the Decade for Health Workforce Strengthening was launched during the 73rd session of the Regional Committee in September 2020. Results The availability of doctors, nurses and midwives in the South-East Asia Region has increased by 21% since the decade began in 2014. Nine countries of the region are now above the 2006 WHO threshold of 22.8 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10 000 population, compared with only six countries in 2014. However, only two countries are above the 2016 revised WHO threshold of 44.5 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10 000 population, the density estimated to be needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region have made progress to different extents during the past 5 years on strengthening governance of human resources for health, data, rural retention and health professional education. Discussion Addressing broader health workforce challenges and particularly PHC workforce challenges will require extra commitment and prioritization by governments for the second half of the decade. COVID-19 presents the necessity and an opportunity to increase long-term investment in the health workforce and in strengthening PHC in the South-East Asia Region.
{"title":"Implementing a decade of strengthening the health workforce in the WHO South-East Asia Region: achievements and way forward for primary health care","authors":"T. Zapata, M. Zakoji, Mikiko Kanda, P. Travis, V. Tangcharoensathien, J. Buchan, M. Jhalani","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309881","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309881","url":null,"abstract":"Background Health workers are the cornerstone of primary health care (PHC) services, the delivery of an effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response and progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region committed to the Decade for Health Workforce Strengthening 2015–2024, and UHC became a regional flagship with a focus on strengthening the health workforce. Since its inception, three rounds of monitoring with standardized indicators have been completed. Methods In 2019, data on human resources for health were collected through the National Health Workforce Accounts online platform by the country focal points; this was complemented by a regional online consultation in June 2020. A mid-term review report on the Decade for Health Workforce Strengthening was launched during the 73rd session of the Regional Committee in September 2020. Results The availability of doctors, nurses and midwives in the South-East Asia Region has increased by 21% since the decade began in 2014. Nine countries of the region are now above the 2006 WHO threshold of 22.8 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10 000 population, compared with only six countries in 2014. However, only two countries are above the 2016 revised WHO threshold of 44.5 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10 000 population, the density estimated to be needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region have made progress to different extents during the past 5 years on strengthening governance of human resources for health, data, rural retention and health professional education. Discussion Addressing broader health workforce challenges and particularly PHC workforce challenges will require extra commitment and prioritization by governments for the second half of the decade. COVID-19 presents the necessity and an opportunity to increase long-term investment in the health workforce and in strengthening PHC in the South-East Asia Region.","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85175547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309867
D. Peiris, Manushi Sharma, D. Praveen, A. Bitton, Graham Bresick, Megan Coffman, R. Dodd, F. El-Jardali, Racha Fadlallah, M. Flinkenflögel, F. Goodyear-Smith, L. Hirschhorn, Wolfgang Munar, A. Palagyi, K. Saif‐Ur‐Rahman, R. Mash
Amid massive health system disruption induced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the need to maintain and improve essential health services is greater than ever. This situation underscores the importance of the primary health care (PHC) revitalization agenda articulated in the 2018 Astana Declaration. The objective was to synthesize what was already known about strengthening PHC in low- and middle- income countries prior to COVID-19. We conducted a secondary analysis of eleven reviews and seven evidence gap maps published by the Primary Health Care Research Consortium in 2019. The 2020 World Health Organization Operational framework for primary health care was used to synthesize key learnings and determine areas of best practice. A total of 238 articles that described beneficial outcomes were analysed (17 descriptive studies, 71 programme evaluations, 90 experimental intervention studies and 60 literature reviews). Successful PHC strengthening initiatives required substantial reform across all four of the framework’s strategic levers – political commitment and leadership, governance and policy, funding and allocation of resources, and engagement of communities and other stakeholders. Importantly, strategic reforms must be accompanied by operational reforms; the strongest evidence of improvements in access, coverage and quality related to service delivery models that promote integrated services, workforce strengthening and use of digital technologies. Strengthening PHC is a “hard grind” challenge involving multiple and disparate actors often taking years or even decades to implement successful reforms. Despite major health system adaptation during the pandemic, change is unlikely to be lasting if underlying factors that foster health system robustness are not addressed.
{"title":"Strengthening primary health care in the COVID-19 era: a review of best practices to inform health system responses in low- and middle-income countries","authors":"D. Peiris, Manushi Sharma, D. Praveen, A. Bitton, Graham Bresick, Megan Coffman, R. Dodd, F. El-Jardali, Racha Fadlallah, M. Flinkenflögel, F. Goodyear-Smith, L. Hirschhorn, Wolfgang Munar, A. Palagyi, K. Saif‐Ur‐Rahman, R. Mash","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309867","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309867","url":null,"abstract":"Amid massive health system disruption induced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the need to maintain and improve essential health services is greater than ever. This situation underscores the importance of the primary health care (PHC) revitalization agenda articulated in the 2018 Astana Declaration. The objective was to synthesize what was already known about strengthening PHC in low- and middle- income countries prior to COVID-19. We conducted a secondary analysis of eleven reviews and seven evidence gap maps published by the Primary Health Care Research Consortium in 2019. The 2020 World Health Organization Operational framework for primary health care was used to synthesize key learnings and determine areas of best practice. A total of 238 articles that described beneficial outcomes were analysed (17 descriptive studies, 71 programme evaluations, 90 experimental intervention studies and 60 literature reviews). Successful PHC strengthening initiatives required substantial reform across all four of the framework’s strategic levers – political commitment and leadership, governance and policy, funding and allocation of resources, and engagement of communities and other stakeholders. Importantly, strategic reforms must be accompanied by operational reforms; the strongest evidence of improvements in access, coverage and quality related to service delivery models that promote integrated services, workforce strengthening and use of digital technologies. Strengthening PHC is a “hard grind” challenge involving multiple and disparate actors often taking years or even decades to implement successful reforms. Despite major health system adaptation during the pandemic, change is unlikely to be lasting if underlying factors that foster health system robustness are not addressed.","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81326824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309864
P. Singh
{"title":"Message from Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, on International Universal Health Coverage Day (12 December 2020)","authors":"P. Singh","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309864","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309864","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89984342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309871
A. Kumari, R. Zangmo, D. Garg, KAparna Sharma
Obstetric care, because of the unique and varying needs specific to different patients, requires special consideration in times of a pandemic such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Health care facilities providing obstetric care need to develop contingency plans for minimizing antenatal visits to limit the exposure of both healthy pregnant women and care providers to the virus. However, to mitigate any potential adverse effects of reduced antenatal visits, intelligent use of evolving telemedicine capabilities can protect the continuum of care despite the overwhelming burden caused by the pandemic. A collaborative work model involving health workers in the community and regional-level health centres also has the potential to prevent the catastrophic collapse of obstetric care services during a pandemic such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
{"title":"Redesigning routine antenatal care in low-resource settings during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"A. Kumari, R. Zangmo, D. Garg, KAparna Sharma","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309871","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309871","url":null,"abstract":"Obstetric care, because of the unique and varying needs specific to different patients, requires special consideration in times of a pandemic such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Health care facilities providing obstetric care need to develop contingency plans for minimizing antenatal visits to limit the exposure of both healthy pregnant women and care providers to the virus. However, to mitigate any potential adverse effects of reduced antenatal visits, intelligent use of evolving telemedicine capabilities can protect the continuum of care despite the overwhelming burden caused by the pandemic. A collaborative work model involving health workers in the community and regional-level health centres also has the potential to prevent the catastrophic collapse of obstetric care services during a pandemic such as the COVID-19 pandemic.","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75883647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309879
A. Tandon, V. Oliveira Cruz, A. Bhatnagar, Hui Wang, Trina Haque, M. Jhalani
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a devastating impact and continues to take its toll in the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region. In addition to its direct impact on morbidity and mortality, the pandemic is adversely affecting economic activity as a result of lockdowns and voluntary social distancing. The average per capita economic contraction among South-East Asia Region countries is currently projected to be 5.3% in 2020, suggesting severe consequences for financing for health and sustaining progress towards universal health coverage. Health financing systems in many countries of the region – characterized by extremely low levels of public financing and a predominance of out-of-pocket spending – have contributed to weaknesses in primary health care (PHC), including in relation to pandemic preparedness and containing COVID-19. Without sustained countercyclical public spending and an increased priority for health in government budgets, countries will be likely to see a slowdown or even reversal in growth in public financing for health, which is already at a low level in several countries of the region. In the face of this economic adversity and fiscal tightening, efforts to improve the efficiency and equity of public spending on health will be key, especially for strengthening PHC and enhancing cost-effectiveness in terms of the choice and delivery of interventions. To this end, countries must emphasize the public health focus, improve targeting of public financing towards the poor and vulnerable, reduce fragmentation and duplication of financing flows, leverage strategic purchasing and cut wasteful spending. The COVID-19 pandemic also presents an opportunity to reset how health systems and PHC are prioritized and adequately financed in the countries of the South-East Asia Region, as areas of core public investment that not only contribute to better health outcomes but also are critical for ensuring a sustained economic recovery.
{"title":"Financing health care in the WHO South-East Asia Region: time for a reset","authors":"A. Tandon, V. Oliveira Cruz, A. Bhatnagar, Hui Wang, Trina Haque, M. Jhalani","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309879","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309879","url":null,"abstract":"The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a devastating impact and continues to take its toll in the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region. In addition to its direct impact on morbidity and mortality, the pandemic is adversely affecting economic activity as a result of lockdowns and voluntary social distancing. The average per capita economic contraction among South-East Asia Region countries is currently projected to be 5.3% in 2020, suggesting severe consequences for financing for health and sustaining progress towards universal health coverage. Health financing systems in many countries of the region – characterized by extremely low levels of public financing and a predominance of out-of-pocket spending – have contributed to weaknesses in primary health care (PHC), including in relation to pandemic preparedness and containing COVID-19. Without sustained countercyclical public spending and an increased priority for health in government budgets, countries will be likely to see a slowdown or even reversal in growth in public financing for health, which is already at a low level in several countries of the region. In the face of this economic adversity and fiscal tightening, efforts to improve the efficiency and equity of public spending on health will be key, especially for strengthening PHC and enhancing cost-effectiveness in terms of the choice and delivery of interventions. To this end, countries must emphasize the public health focus, improve targeting of public financing towards the poor and vulnerable, reduce fragmentation and duplication of financing flows, leverage strategic purchasing and cut wasteful spending. The COVID-19 pandemic also presents an opportunity to reset how health systems and PHC are prioritized and adequately financed in the countries of the South-East Asia Region, as areas of core public investment that not only contribute to better health outcomes but also are critical for ensuring a sustained economic recovery.","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88226736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-01DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.309882
Ruchita A Rajbhandary, P. Negandhi, Anjali Sharma, S. Zodpey
{"title":"Using the SCORE for Health Data Technical Package to strengthen primary health care","authors":"Ruchita A Rajbhandary, P. Negandhi, Anjali Sharma, S. Zodpey","doi":"10.4103/2224-3151.309882","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/2224-3151.309882","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37393,"journal":{"name":"WHO South-East Asia journal of public health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75865944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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