The guidelines outline a public health response to HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for 5 key populations (men who have sex with men, trans and gender diverse people, sex workers, people who inject drugs and people in prisons and other closed settings)…
“The new data from UNAIDS show that around 70% of new HIV infections occur among key populations and their partners…” said Meg Doherty, Director of WHO’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes…
These guidelines also acknowledge that behavioural interventions aimed at changing behaviours – which tend to be prioritized in many settings – have no impact on incidence of HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs or on behaviour change…more
Join us at our next interactive AfroPHC Policy Workshop on “Workers Health in African PHC” 11am-2pm Ghana, 12pm-3pm Nigeria, 1-4 pm Central/Southern Africa and 2-5pm Kenya next Tuesday 16th August. Check your local time here.
Our panel, moderated by Dr Jamie Colloty, is made up of the following expert. · Dr. Dorothy Ngajilo, Occupational Medicine Specialist, World Health Organization (WHO) Global Occupational and Workplace Health Programme After the panel discussion of 1 hour, we will break up into small groups with specific facilitators / language groups for 45 minutes to discuss the following question/s. What are some of the positive and negative experiences that have affected yourhealth and safety as a healthcare worker? What do you understand by the term burnout and what are some of the factors thatlead to burnout among primary health care workers in Africa? What policies and strategies would you recommend protecting the health and safetyof primary health care workers in Africa? We will close the meeting with feedback and summarise key issues. We want to build discussions into the draft AfroPHC Policy Document “Building the PHC Team for UHC in Africa”. The panel and feedback will have French translations. See more details, including speaker’s bios here.
Join us 12-2pm GMT this Friday 12th August to meet with as many colleagues from Cameroon, DR Congo, Chad, Congo, Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea [with English – French translators]. The consultation will be facilitated by Francoise Nwabufo and Elie Badjo.
The agenda is as follows. The link is below Welcome/Introductions Introduction to AfroPHC and Chapters and Discussions on “What are the challenges of PHC in the region?” Review of AfroPHC Policy Framework and Discussions on “The Draft Policy Framework: what we like, don’t like and suggestions” Discussions on “How we take AfroPHC forward?” Join Zoom Meeting Meeting [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87667423120?pwd=R1p0NHY1ZlNDQ3dGTlRZcjduczlOUT09] ID: 876 6742 3120 | Passcode: 111364
See more here [https://afrophc.org/chapters/]. We are very keen that as many local stakeholders participate. These include professional associations, ministries of health, accreditation / certification bodies, academics, patient advocacy groups etc. Please feel free to share this email to any key stakeholders you think should be there and ask them to join us to discuss AfroPHC and the Policy Framework.
Globally, only half of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment. UNAIDS, UNICEF, and WHO have brought together a new alliance to fix one of the most glaring disparities in the AIDS response…more
The health and lives of people in the greater Horn of Africa are threatened as the region faces an unprecedented food crisis. In order to carry out urgent, life-saving work, WHO is launching a funding appeal for US$ 123.7 million…more
… Africa’s double burden of infectious and chronic disease is at the center of this debate on whether Africa is overspending health resources on … For starters, according to the World Health Organization, Africa has the highest incidence of HIV…more
We would like to share some recent updates with you from our Department. In our last newsletter, we shared the Family Medicine Department response in February and March to the flooding victims in Southern Malawi. But this wasn’t the only opportunity our Family Medicine doctors had to extend healthcare in a disaster. In late April, two of our doctors, Dr. Catherine Hodge and registrar Dr. Antonio Giannakis, joined a team of American Family Medicine doctors to fly to Uzhhorod, Ukraine. The group ran a week of clinics for the many refugees who had fled from the southeast and middle of Ukraine due to the war raged by Russia…more
Background: Access to sexual and reproductive health services remains a challenge for many in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia…
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers working in health facilities offering sexual and reproductive health services in Kenya (n = 212), Tanzania (n = 371), Uganda (n = 145) and Zambia (n = 243)…
Results: According to healthcare workers, the most common barrier to accessing sexual and reproductive health services was poor patient knowledge (37.1%). Following, issues with supply of commodities (42.5%) and frequent stockouts (36.0%) were most often raised in the public sector; in the other sectors these were also raised as an issue. Patient costs were a more significant barrier in the private (33.3%) and private not-for-profit sectors (21.1%) compared to the public sector (4.6%), and religious beliefs were a significant barrier in the private not-for-profit sector compared to the public sector (odds ratio = 2.46, 95% confidence interval = 1.69–3.56). In all sectors delays in the delivery of supplies (37.4-63.9%) was given as main stockout cause. Healthcare workers further believed that it was common that clients were reluctant to access sexual and reproductive health services, due to fear of stigmatisation, their lack of knowledge, myths/superstitions, religious beliefs, and fear of side effects. Healthcare workers recommended client education to tackle this.
Conclusions: Demand and supply side barriers were manifold across the public, private and private not-for-profit sectors, with some sector-specific, but mostly cross-cutting barriers. To improve access to sexual and reproductive health services, a multi-pronged approach is needed, targeting client knowledge, the weak supply chain system, high costs in the private and private not-for-profit sectors, and religious beliefs…more
Our last AfroPHC Advisory Board Meeting of the African Forum for Primary Health Care (AfroPHC) was 6th May 2022 in preparation for the AfroPHC Conference and AGM. Minutes attached. The Conference/AGM successfully discussed the AfroPHC Policy Framework with the revised draft attached now (and some unresolved issues still highlighted). Apologies for the delay! We are really chuffed that AfroPHC has been awarded $40 000 by PHCPI to deepen the draft AfroPHC Policy Framework on “Building PHC teams for UHC in Africa”. Activities will be extensive online consultations on the document across Africa over August-October, with a hybrid Final Workshop in South Africa 25-26 October 2022 and a virtual Launch Event around 12th December 2022.
Please join the next AfroPHC ADVISORY Board Meeting next week Friday August 5th, 2021 1-3pm Ghana/GMT, 2-4pm Nigeria, 3-5pm SA, 4-6pm Kenya. Confirm your local time here PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS AN HOUR LATER THAN USUAL AS AGREED IN OUR LAST EB MEETING.
We are also inviting leaders in the AfroPHC Youth Hub to be part of this meeting. We hope to briefly update you on AfroPHC organisational progress, and to more extensively discuss this iteration of the AfroPHC Policy Call and the AfroPHC Workshop in October. We are really keen to see as many of you at the October workshop in person. Please see draft agenda below. Welcome and brief introductions Adoption of minutes of last meeting/matters arising EB Report (Brief) AfroPHC Policy Call Draft “Building effective PHC Teams for UHC in Africa” Closure See you on the 5th August!
