Launch of new WHO and UNICEF "Network for improving quality of care for maternal, newborn and child health (Quality of Care Network)"

WHO and UNICEF have launched a new "Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (Quality of Care Network)".

The vision of the Quality of Care Network is that every pregnant woman, newborn and child receives good quality care in health services, with the ambitious goal to halve maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths in health facilities within five years in the participating countries.

The Quality of Care Network is underpinned by the values of quality, equity and dignity. It will look at quality of care both in the way it is delivered by health workers ...

Call for papers: Primary Health Care in the Americas: 40 years after Alma-Ata (WHO Pan American Journal of Public Health)

In 1978, WHO Member States agreed on a set of principles at Alma-Ata to protect and promote the health of all people by articulating primary health care as the guiding principle of a comprehensive health system. Since then, countries of the Americas have witnessed tremendous progress, economic growth, and improvements to their health systems. Despite this, many challenges remain in the Region including poverty and inequities, barriers to accessing health, inefficient models of care, segmentation of health systems, fragmentation of services, insufficient health financing, and weak governance and leadership.

It is now time to take stock of efforts and the ...

Call for applications: ISQua Emerging Leader Programme

The International Society for Quality in Health Care is offering applicants from developing countries or countries with economies in transition, an opportunity to apply for its Emerging Leaders Programme 2017 - 2018.

Training and supporting emerging leaders from Low or Lower Middle Income Coutries (LMICs) is a means of advancing quality and safety in healthcare in those countries through geometric progression.

Strategically placed leaders have a capacity to transfer knowledge, ideas and skills to groups of those they are in a position to influence who in turn may transfer knowledge to extended groups.

Each year, one applicant will be chosen by ...

Lancet Commission on the future of health in sub-Saharan Africa: “People-centred health systems are the way forward”

• “A framework shift is needed to deliver better health outcomes through people-centred health systems, with a focus on prevention, primary care and public health” is a key message in a new report by the Lancet Commission on the Future of Health in Sub-Saharan Africa. Action towards this will contribute to the vision of the Commission that by 2030, Africans should have the same opportunities for long and healthy lives that new technologies, well-functioning health systems, and good governance offer people living on other continents.

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  Read full report: http://www.thelancet.com/commissions/future-health-Africa  

Launch of new community of practice on change management

One of the greatest challenges for healthcare is transforming services to suit the needs of patients and to improve delivery of care. The concept of integrated care is not new, but to achieve fully integrated care pathway for patients, transformation is essential. Change management is a key skill required for any individual trying to improve and change the way a healthcare system currently operates. Change is disruptive, inconvenient and people are not happy moving from their comfort zones and “what already works”.

The aim of this community of practice for change management is to support colleagues and share experiences in ...

Photo story: Transforming primary care services in Kazakhstan

(Original article published by WHO Regional Office for Europe)

Kazakhstan is on track to achieve the global target of a 25% reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2025. Currently, however, it has one of the highest rates of premature mortality in the WHO European Region. In 2013, the main causes of years of life lost due to premature death in Kazakhstan were ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and self-harm. Dietary risks, high systolic blood pressure and high body mass index are the highest ranked risk factors for disease burden, measured in disability-adjusted life years.

To tackle this burden of ...

African Health Ministers commit to attain universal health coverage

(Original article published by WHO Regional Office for Africa: http://www.afro.who.int/news/african-health-ministers-commit-attain-universal-health-coverage) 

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 30 August 2017 - African health ministers meeting in Zimbabwe for the 67th Session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee have adopted a range of actions intended to strengthen health systems in countries and eventually lead to Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

UHC means that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship. It enables everyone to access the services that address the most important causes of disease and death, and ensures that these services ...

Call for Research Papers: UHC, innovation and population aging in LMICs (WHO Kobe Centre)

This call for papers is jointly organised by the journal Health Policy and Planning and the WHO Kobe Centre for Health and Development (WKC), with the support of the WHO Health Workforce Department, WHO Service Delivery Department, and the WHO Ageing and Life course Department. It is financially supported by the WHO Kobe Center. 

The title of the supplement is: "Meeting the health, welfare and social care needs of older people in low and middle income countries (LMICS) through innovations and enhanced human capital".

“Inviting empirical research on innovations in meeting the health, welfare and social needs of older populations ...

Photo essay: extending health coverage in hard-to-reach areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with Nigeria, bears 40% of the global malaria burden. This preventable and curable illness, along with pneumonia and diarrhoea, can be deadly for children under 5 if treatment is not available.

In DRC's remote Tanganyika Province, WHO's Rapid Access Expansion Programme is helping the Ministry of Public Health to train and support community health workers to diagnose and treat these diseases and decrease preventable child deaths.

View the photo essay here.

Innovations from BRICS countries on people-centred health reforms at 70th World Health Assembly

On 24 May at the 70th World Health Assembly, a group of large emerging economies referred to as the “BRICS countries” – which includes Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa – convened at a side event sponsored by China. The aim: to share experiences and innovations on people-centred reforms as a cornerstone to making progress towards universal health coverage, using the WHO Framework on integrated people-centred health services as a basis for discussion.

The countries have made progress towards universal health coverage over the years, improving access to quality health services while also lifting hundreds of millions of people ...