PHM Africa Learning Space

As the global community tirelessly grapples to contain the spread of COVID-19, I am worried about the fate of hundreds of thousands of urban refugees living in Uganda; a country with an ailing healthcare system that is largely characterized by drug stock-outs, shortage of health workers, limited access to health services and limited coping capacity. That notwithstanding, Uganda hosts approximately 1,394,678 refugees fleeing persecution, conflict, devastating effects of climate change, and human rights violations from neighboring countries such as Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan among others. Out of 1,394,378 refugees, 66,464 refugees reside in Kampala (Kampala central, Makindye, Kawempe, Nakawa, Nansana, and Rubaga). Non-recognition of their status as refugees, especially Congolese demonstrates their unique legal, social and economic vulnerability which threatens their basic human rights, including access to healthcare. In addition, living conditions am...

A Human rights-based approach to climate change: A missed Opportunity for Uganda                                                                                                                                By                          ...

By CWGH  THE current stalemate between government and the striking doctors over poor working conditions, poor remuneration and absence of the tools of trade has taken too long to address and has caused untold suffering and deaths across the country. Doctors in the country’s public health institutions have been on strike since August this year. So far, the government fired at least 435 doctors after they turned down its offer of 70% salary increment. An offer by telecommunication mogul Strive Masiyiwa’s Higherlife Foundation to pay the doctors has divided the striking medical practitioners, who fall under the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA). A splinter association with suspected links to the government, the Progressive Doctors’ Association of Zimbabwe (PDAZ), was launched recently to represent those willing to go back to work, further complicating the dialogue process. The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH), which is mediating in the protracted labour di...

A small group from the People’s Health Movement South Africa protested in front of parliament highlighting the lack of access to affordable and healthy food and the burden of malnutrition, undernutrition and obesity in South Africa.  Read more on Daily Maverick: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-12-10-protesters-demand-that-poor-communities-have-access-to-healthy-food/

Maziko Matemba from PHM Malawi appointed as the Community Health Ambassador in Malawi on UHC Day. PHM Malawi attended the commemorations including the launch of the Community and Primary Health Care acceleration plan.

As we mark the International Universal Health Coverage day, December 12 , under the theme “Keep the Promise”, it is crucial to highlight the World Health Organization (WHO)’s policy incoherence regarding misoprostol and mifepristone. Is the WHO keeping the promise of delivering universal health for all? WHO’s policy incoherence regarding the status of misoprostol and mifepristone constitutes a significant barrier to wider access to safe medical abortion. WHO must keep the promise of UHC and unequivocally endorse prompt low cost access to misoprostol and mifepristone including appropriate advice on usage and precautions. This comment addresses the global issue taking Uganda as a case study.   Access to essential health care is the ‘promise’ of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It is also a fundamental human right. The mortality burden globally associated with unsafe abortion is horrendous and could be dramatically reduced if prompt low cost access to safe medical abortion ...

The title to the COPASAH Symposium alone set the pace to this Analysis, “Leaving no one behind: Strengthening Community Centred Health Systems for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals”. This title in my mind alludes to a commitment to serve a people and humanity through a more democratic approach that allows them to be involved in their own health challenge solving and development. It is important to note that many marginalized people’s lives in the community are in jeopardy the world over hence the need for community ethos and creation of a conversation between grassroots practitioners, policy advocates, research and academia, policy makers and the implementer. The symposium encased a motley of approaches from the grassroots, practitioners, researchers and academia, policy makers and implementers from all over world, uniquely modeled to gainfully engage members of community and their leaders to improve governance and encourage community accountability. While COPASAH has been ru...

The 69th session of the WHO/ AFRO RC meets from 19-23 August 2019 in Brazzaville, Congo.  The Provisional Agenda, the Statement of the chairperson of the Programme subcommittee to the sixty-ninth session of the regional committee and Informational documents are already published.  See  https://who-track. phmovement.org/afro-69  . Please contribute to the AFRO69 Watch by reviewing the Provisional Agenda and identifying items that inspire you or are close to what you are working on or where you have expertise or experience. Please choose your item(s) and contribute to develop commentaries.  T here are a few items on the agenda that are important and require our response. Drafting a commentary on major items and sending this  to the country delegates attending   will be an important advocacy tool for all of us. You can also mobilize (at country and regional level) around items that are relevant for you. Please share it with your group ...

Hassan from PHM Djibouti in Casablanca for the ECOSOCC conference. In the photo he poses with the Deputy Mayor of the city of Casablanca Mrs. Hakima Fasly. He will also meet with PHM circle of Morocco coordinated by Mr Aziz.

Join PHMSA's public meeting on CHWs this August in Cape Town South Africa. For more information contact Tinashe 078 831 5809 tinashe@phm-sa.org

An interesting link to a paper Danny Gotto authored with colleagues and will be presenting APHA Annual Meeting Expo Nov 2-6th in Philadelphia USA:  https://apha.confex.com/apha/ 2019/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/ 439754   Experience from Western Uganda with CHWs and Performance-Based Incentives: Making Rural Women’s Right to Contraception Real    Abstract Background:  Ugandan women have a high unmet need for contraception and high levels of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion. Community health workers (CHWs) can expand access to family planning by delivering services and linking communities to primary care. This study evaluates a project in which CHWs received performance-based incentives (PBIs) for providing short-term contraception to rural community members, and for referring them to health centers for long-acting or permanent methods (LAPMs). Methods:  We retrospectively collected service delivery data from 10 program and 10 control heal...

Maziko Matemba and Wilson Asibu (PHM Malawi) participated in the first ever Malawi Civil Society Country Consultation workshop on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and PHC in Lilongwe .

PHM Zambia chair, Guess Nyirenda attended a meeting on media freedoms and was part of the technical working group on media regulation in Zambia. Media is an important platform for civil society to express their views. 

Michael Ssemakula and Danny Gotto (PHM Uganda) and David Sanders (PHM Global Co-Chair) participated in the Special Consultati on  on Governance for Health in Africa; Lessons learnt since independence to inform the future from 16 to 18 July 2019 in Uganda. PHM Uganda efforts were on Human Resources for Health (HRH). David Sanders moderated the session on Governance for Health in Africa It was convened by: ACHEST, African Platform on Human Resources For Health and Ashgovnet Items for discussion were as follows: 1.Historical perspective of health in Africa: Impact of African history  on African mind set. 2 Global Health Governance and Africa Perspectives on: where we came from, where we are and what next Dying for Economic Growth; story of mismatched solutions. Historical contribution of WHO to Health in Africa. Coordinating the Regional Effort at the East, Central and Southern African Health  Community. Coordinating the Regional Effor...