In order to provide more comprehensive and meaningful search results on our site, several reports are available for viewing and download directly from this web site. Kindly visit the main sites of the author organisations for more complete and updated information. We acknowledge our gratitude to the many people and sources whose work has been drawn freely upon. We thank them all.
Use the links below to download readers necessary to view the various documents on our site.
With simple solutions alongside new technologies, we can defeat the leading killers of children. We invite you to use these resources from PATH and our partners to advocate for improved child health.
We asked celebrities including Emily Blunt, Eddie Redmayne and Priyanka Chopra to watch a powerful new video. See how they reacted to people suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)...Can you make it through to the end?
Most people have never heard of these seven diseases, but as you'll see on the video, NTDs can be horrific and are a major reason why poor communities stay trapped in poverty. It costs just 50 cents to treat and protect one person for an entire year. Visit http://www.end7.org/ to take action today. We would love for you to join us on the journey to 2020 -- together we can see the end!
Across the central belt of sub-Saharan Africa, community health workers (CHWs) deliver life-saving health care services where it's needed most, in poor rural communities. In this region, 10 to 20 percent of children die before reaching the age of 5. Maternal death rates are high. Many people suffer unnecessarily from preventable and treatable diseases, from malaria and diarrhea to tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Many of these residents would otherwise have little or no access to the most fundamental aspects of modern medicine. Many countries are struggling to make progress toward the health related MDGs partly because so many people are poor and live in rural areas beyond the reach of modern health care.
DrRaxa is a website focused at an Indian audience, who do not always have access to high quality medical information. This site will, we hope, provide them with information that they can trust, be appropriate to their social and economic circumstances and, most importantly, be of an 'international' quality. It is designed to be a one-stop site, where all the questions a person asks regarding his or her health problems, will be answered in clear and simple language. We provide health news, advice on how to keep fit, features on seasonal illnesses, and a list of where to find good medical care in the various parts of India.
This encyclopaedia is an online tool that provides access to recent scientific studies on early childhood. Together, the Centro de Excelencia para el Desarrollo de la Primera Infancia (CEDPI - the Centre for Excellence in Early Childhood Development) and the Red Estratégica de Conocimientos sobre el Desarrollo de la Primera Infancia (REC-DPI - Strategic Knowledge Network on Early Childhood Development) produce the encyclopaedia, which is directed at politicians, planners, service providers, and parents.
Witness: Birth in Nepal
Nepal has some of the worst maternal death statistics in the world, with some six women dying in childbirth every day. Subina Shrestha, a Nepalese filmmaker who is herself five months pregnant, sets out to find out why so many mothers are dying in childbirth.
Witness is Al Jazeera English's flagship documentary strand, presenting two international documentaries each week which bear witness to the ordinary - and extraordinary - lives of people across the globe.
ReproLinePlus provides technical resources for global health practice. Resources on the website can be used to train competent health care workers, strengthen health systems, improve quality ofcare, and build knowledge and skills. Topics include Maternal, Newborn and Child Health; Family Planning and Reproductive Health; HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care; Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment; Infection Prevention and Control; Malaria; and Tuberculosis.
- Free e-learning courses on maternal health care for frontline workers The Learning Opportunities section of ReproLinePlus offers free, e-learning courses on maternal health care topics such as managing postpartum hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, prolonged and obstructed labor, and postabortion care.
This unique observational documentary series shines a light on Indian society as it is rarely seen. In six one-hour programmes it illuminates the complexities and dilemmas of modern India through the extraordinarily varied lives of patients and medical staff working at the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital Complex in Bangalore, India.
This series follows the daily lives of patients and staff. The hospital and its stories mirror the very essence of Indian life. In this rich, varied and confronting series, stereotypes about Indians, India and Indian medicine will all be challenged.
This is a report by Consumers International, published in 2007. (selected extracts below) Since 2007, have things improved, stayed the same, or got worse? In particular, what are governments and others doing to honour the World Health Assembly Resolution 2007 'to ban inaccurate, misleading or unethical promotion of medicines, to monitor drug promotion, and to develop and implement programmes that will provide independent, non-promotional information on medicines'?
Consumers International (CI) - 'In many developing countries, pharmaceutical companies have been accused of exploiting the lack of independent information available to medical professionals and patients. In the absence of independent sources doctors, the public and patients have to rely to a much greater extent on companies' marketing to tell them about the products that are available. When the information that is provided is misleading, biased and inaccurate it contributes to dangerous levels of mis-prescribing. Up to 50% of medicines in developing countries are inappropriately prescribed, dispensed or sold.'
'The problem is compounded when drug companies also release misleading messages and information to the public and patients. It is also estimated that 50% of patients in developing countries improperly use medicines. Such high levels of irrational use are likely to be having a disastrous impact on people's health resulting in reduced treatment efficacy and contributing to problems like drug resistance.'
'It is estimated that up to 50% of medicines in developing countries are inappropriately prescribed, dispensed or sold.'
The scheme of the [pharmaceutical] company was as follows: 'On sale of 1,000 samples of the drug, get a Motorola handset. On sale of 5,000 samples get an air cooler. On sale of 10,000 samples get a motor bike.' - Doctor from Mumbai India (2003) .... more
The biennial MDGs Gender Chart depicts the situation of women and girls in developing regions as reflected in a number of indicators that are used to monitor the MDGs. It shows that although there has been some progress in a number of the gender dimensions of the Goals, more needs to be done, in every country and at every level, to achieve the pivotal third MDG and to reduce persisting levels of inequality based on sex, wealth, location ethnicity and other markers of disadvantage.
With colourful graphs and striking statistics, this just-launched addendum to the UN Secretary General's 2012 Millennium Development Goals Report focuses specifically on Goal 3, which calls for gender equality and women's empowerment and also tracks the impact of gender equality on the achievement of each of the remaining seven MDGs.
It is being co-produced by UN Women and the UN Statistics Division for the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDGs Indicators.
The rising population of young people in the developing world is the largest in history and will be for at least another 25 years. Many of these young people experience adolescence as an extended crisis that exposes them to life-changing - and sometimes life-threatening - situations. Most are not prepared for the abrupt changes that are coming. They lack information and life skills, protection and decision making power.
In some societies, girls as young as 10 years old are perceived as young women ready for marriage and childbearing, while boys of the same age have to support their families. Yet at a time when correct and gender equitable information is so important, studies show that most young adolescents lack the knowledge and skills to reduce risks associated with puberty. Therefore, young adolescents are vulnerable to sexual violence and coercion, unplanned pregnancy and early marriage.
40% of all new cases of HIV around the world are among young people aged 15-24 and some young people are already sexually active before the age of 15. Young people need to be educated about sex before they start having it so that they can protect themselves from HIV. Sexuality education must deal with risks and prevention in a culturally appropriate, age appropriate and gender sensitive manner.
Young adolescents have a right to receive the same information and access to health services as anyone else.
In 2011, more children under the age of five died in India than anywhere else in the world. That's 1.7 million children – over 4,650 child deaths a day – according to a new report by the United Nation's Children's Fund.
Even on a per-capita basis, India does poorly. The study estimates that for every 1,000 children born in India, 61 are unlikely to make it to their fifth birthday. That rate is higher than, say, in Rwanda (54 child deaths), Nepal (48 child deaths) or Cambodia (43 child deaths).
The report showed the main causes of child deaths worldwide are pneumonia, responsible for 18% of deaths, followed by diarrhea (11% of deaths). India stands out for the prevalence of diarrhea as a killer of infants. Diarrhea was responsible for 13% of child deaths in India in 2010 – the second-highest rate after Afghanistan.
Associated with poor sanitation, malnutrition and lack of access to basic healthcare services, this is an easily preventable disease that strikes mainly the poor. Washing hands with soap, clean drinking water and putting an end to open defecation – which the report found is a major cause of diarrhea in South Asia – are easy preventative measures.
27 October, 2012 - The infant mortality rate in India has come down to 44 from 47 deaths per 1,000 live births over the last one year, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. According to the October bulletin of the Sample Registration System (SRS) released by the Registrar General of India, the IMR for rural areas has dropped by three points from 51 to 48 infant deaths per 1000 live births while the urban rate now stands at 29 from the previous 31/1000, it said.
Registration of births and deaths is an important source for demographic data for socio-economic development and population control in developing countries. The data on population growth, fertility and mortality serves as the starting point for population projections. Apart from these vital indicators, an adequate evaluation of a number of programs in the health sector, including family planning, maternal and reproductive health, immunization programs, is dependent upon the availability of accurate, up-to-date fertility and mortality data. In India, the need for dependable demographic data was felt soon after independence heralding the era of five year planning.
3. Give Us the Money Bob Geldof, Bono and fellow activist Bill Gates speak candidly about the lobbying, strategising and back room deals involved in their near 30 years of activism against poverty… more info
4. Land Rush: How do you feed the world? In 2008 the world's food system began to fall apart. Threatened with hunger, rich countries started buying up and leasing fertile tracks of the developing world. more info
5. Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream How much inequality is too much? In New York, 740 Park Ave is home to some of the wealthiest Americans. 10 minutes to the north, over the Harlem River, is the other Park Avenue in South Bronx, where more than half the population needs food stamps and children are 20 times more likely to be killed. more info
6. Education, Education In China, where an education was once valued and thought to be a way out of poverty, it is now questionable as a route to economic security. more info
7. Welcome to the World Looks at the fact that every year 130 million babies are born, but their chances in life depend on the lottery of where, how and to whom they are born. more info
8. Poor Us: An Animated History …begins in the Neolithic Age and takes the viewer through the changing world of poverty. It is a sinister and at times… more info
9. Short films on subjects as diverse as Waste, Bags, Love, Barrels, Coal and Poop
Review many of the short films and access the trailers. Titles include: Wilbur goes Poor; Colours in the Dust; The Crisis and the Sunglasses; Poop on Poverty; and, Afghan Girl...question: These films raise loads of really important questions - Your answers to which could have very significant implications for your strategies and programmes
"We must begin to accept that improving quality of life of the increasing numbers of surviving children, and not simply reduction of mortality, should be the goal of global health efforts.
Accordingly, GH partnerships must bring together resources for health worker education at all levels to understand and appreciate this approach, broaden health planning by governments, foundations, and NGOs, and begin to build the needed infrastructure in rehabilitation services and education at the local level." - Alfred L. Scherzer, MD, EdD, FAAP
Low- andmiddle-income countries are experiencing a significant reduction in mortality of children under 5 years of age. This reduction is bringing in its wake large numbers of surviving children with developmental delays and disabilities. Very little attention has been paid to these children, most of whomreceiveminimal or no support. Thus, there is an urgent need to recognize that improving the quality of life of the survivors must complement mortality reduction in healthcare practice and programs. The incorporation of early evaluation and intervention programs into routine pediatric care is likely to have the most impact on the quality of life of these children. We therefore call for leadership frompractitioners, governments, and international organizations to prioritize regular childhood developmental surveillance for possible delays and disabilities, and to pursue early referral for intervention.
The report brings welcome news: measured by the proxy-indicator consistently used by the JMP since 2000, the MDG drinking-water target was met in 2010, five years ahead of schedule. However, the job is far from done. An estimated 780 million still lacked safe drinking water in 2010, and the world is unlikely to meet the MDG sanitation target. A reduction in urban-rural disparities and inequities associated with poverty; drinking-water coverage in countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania; putting sanitation 'on track'; and universal coverage beyond 2015 all remain high on the development and public health agenda.
Globally, about one quarter of all neonatal deaths are caused by birth asphyxia. In this document, birth asphyxia is defined simply as the failure to initiate and sustain breathing at birth. Effective resuscitation at birth can prevent a large proportion of these deaths. The need for clinical guidelines on basic newborn resuscitation, suitable for settings with limited resources, is universally recognized. WHO had responded to this need by developing guidelines for this purpose that are contained in the document Basic newborn resuscitation: a practical guide. As this document is over a decade old, a process to update the guidelines on basic newborn resuscitation was initiated in 2009.
The objective of these updated WHO guidelines is to ensure that newborns in resource-limited settings who require resuscitation are effectively resuscitated. These guidelines will inform WHO training and reference materials, such as Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborn care: a guide for essential practice; Essential newborn care course; Managing newborn problems: a guide for doctors, nurses and midwives; and Pocket book of hospital care for children: guidelines for the management of common illnesses with limited resources. These guidelines will assist programme managers responsible for implementing maternal and child health programmes to develop or adapt national or local guidelines, standards and training materials on newborn care. Download .pdf
The current shortage of over 3.5 million doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers means that millions of children do not receive the health care they need, and risk an early death from preventable causes. We cannot achieve the goal of saving 15 million children’s lives by 2015 unless a health worker – with the right skills, equipment and support – is within reach of every child.
More Health Workers - The world is suffering from a massive gap of more than 3.5 million health workers. Join with hundreds of organisations who have already signed up to our urgent call for more health workers, better supported. click here
Putting Health Workers First
"The focus of all our efforts should be on enabling healthcare providers to deliver evidence-based health care for all. A SEISMIC shift is needed progressively to understand and address the full range of basic needs of healthcare providers in low- and middle-income countries: Skills, Equipment, Information, Structural support, Medicines, Incentives (including a decent salary) and Communication facilities." - Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Coordinator - HIFA2015 campaign
Governments and funding agencies should absorb and keep constantly in mind the words of Lincoln Chen and colleagues:
"Indeed, the only route to reaching the Health MDGs is through the health worker: there are no shortcuts."
by Murray Dickson updated and expanded with information about HIV and AIDS by Richard Bebermeyer, Martin Hobdell and Gene Stevenson - Hesperian, 15th printing (updated), July 2012 248 pp. 11.9 MB - Download .pdf
The 2012 edition of Where There Is No Dentist features a new section on how to do Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART), a permanent way to fill cavities without the use of a dental drill that was first pioneered in Tanzania in the mid-80s and is now used by health workers and dental workers in many parts of the world. Also updated was the In-formation on other training materials, resources, and where to get dental supplies. This book is an important companion to the 2011 printing of Where There Is No Doctor.
13 September 2012 - Data released today by UNICEF and the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation show that the number of children under the age of 5 dying globally has dropped from nearly 12 million in 1990 to an estimated 6.9 million in 2011.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake says, "The global decline in under-5 mortality is a significant success that is a testament to the work and dedication of many, including governments, donors, agencies and families. But there is also unfinished business: Millions of children under 5 are still dying each year from largely preventable causes for which there are proven, affordable interventions."
He stresses, "These lives could be saved with vaccines, adequate nutrition and basic medical and maternal care. The world has the technology and know-how to do so. The challenge is to make these available to every child."
Video UNICEF reports on progress made in reducing child deaths worldwide
Progress report Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed
Video World embraces goal of ending preventable child deaths
The 2012 edition of the Child Development Index tells a story of success. The edition shows that substantial progress has been made in addressing the most basic threats to child survival and well-being. On average, the lives of children around the world in the indicators measured improved by more than 30%. This means that the chances of a child going to school were one-third higher, and the chances of an infant dying before their fifth birthday were one-third lower at the end of the 2000s than a decade before. Overall, during this period child well-being improved in 90% of the countries surveyed.
This handbook, Access to Knowledge: A Guide for Everyone, is a part of that broader programme. Its aim is to provide a concise and nonspecialist introduction to IP and A2K issues, and selected related issues of communications rights and access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). Its intended readership includes consumer groups and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) who wish to become more knowledgeable in this area, individual academics and activists who could use a simple reference guide to the many related issues of A2K, and consumers at large who are affected by unfair IP laws and practices.
On this note, whilst A2K has not always been high on the agenda of the global consumer movement, CI believes that it is very much of a consumer issue, on a par with the more traditional consumer issues such as food and product safety, sustainable consumption, and unethical marketing. After all, many activities that now form part of consumers' everyday lives, such as accessing learningmaterials, transferringmusic, videos or e-books from one device to another, and sharing their interests online, are deeply impacted by IP laws and policies. Download .pdf
The 2012 edition of the Child Development Index tells a story of success. The edition shows that substantial progress has been made in addressing the most basic threats to child survival and well-being. On average, the lives of children around the world in the indicators measured improved by more than 30%. This means that the chances of a child going to school were one-third higher, and the chances of an infant dying before their fifth birthday were one-third lower at the end of the 2000s than a decade before. Overall, during this period child well-being improved in 90% of the countries surveyed.
by Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) on Jul 02, 2012
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2012 was launched in New York by the Secretary-General on 2 July 2012. The report presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs, highlighting several milestones – three important MDG targets have been met well ahead of the target date of 2015. The report says that meeting the remaining targets, while challenging, remain possible - but only if Governments do not waiver from their commitments made over a decade ago. The report is based on a master set of data compiled by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG indicators led by the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
The work of Translators without Borders is of crucial importance for the success of humanitarian projects. Information available in the local language is much more effective than in a foreign language. This is true for engineering and construction projects (such as digging water wells), and agricultural projects (such as how to irrigate the land). But it is particularly important in healthcare. In many areas in the world people do not only die from diseases, but also from the fact that they do not have basic information about how to stay healthy and what to do to prevent disease.
If you are a translator and you are willing to donate your time and professional skills to Translators without Borders, you will directly support humanitarian projects. To join TWB, we ask you to fill in the translator application form.
This year, more than 7 million children will die before they turn 5. Most of these children live in poor countries, and their deaths are largely preventable.
We Know What Works: Child mortality has been reduced by 70% over the last 50 years. We must expand access to lifesaving solutions while developing new tools needed to take us the last mile.
Nonprofit organizations are one of the top two ways adults are most likely to get involved in positive social change. On average, about half of adults agree nonprofits make it easy for people to be involved in social change.
Globally, adults are morelikely to agree with the three POSITIVE attributes or strengths of nonprofit organizations presented than the three NEGATIVE attributes or weaknesses presented.
Source: Walden University's 2012 Social Change Impact Report. Conducted by Harris Interactive, Feb.–March 2012.
Objective: To ensure that all babies are born with a skilled birth attendant present.
Helping Babies Breathe is a neonatal resuscitation curriculum for resource-limited circumstances. It was developed on the premise that assessment at birth and simple newborn care are things that every baby deserves. The initial steps taught in HBB can save lives and give a much better start to many babies who struggle to breathe at birth. The focus is to meet the needs of every baby born.
The Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) Implementation Guide is a tool for advancing sustainable national programs for newborn and maternal health. For maximum impact, HBB should be integrated into existing newborn or maternal health training, but it can be implemented as a stand-alone program, depending on national priorities.
By UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank; May 2012
Globally, the total number of maternal deaths decreased by from 543,000 in 1990 to 287,000 in 2010. Likewise, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) declined from 400 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 210 in 2010, representing an average annual decline of 3.1 per cent.
All developing regions experienced a decline in MMR between 1990 and 2010, with the highest reduction in the 20-year period in Eastern Asia (69 per cent) followed by Northern Africa (66 per cent), Southern Asia (64 per cent), Sub-Saharan Africa (41 per cent), Latin America and the Caribbean (41 per cent), Oceania (38 per cent) and finally Caucasus and Central Asia (35 per cent).
Countdown launched its 2012 Report on June 14, 2012, at the Child Survival Call to Action, a two-day high-level meeting in Washington, D.C. This conference, convened by the governments of the U.S., Ethiopia, and India in collaboration with UNICEF, charted a course toward the end of preventable child deaths around the world.
The 2012 Report, Building a Future for Women and Children, highlights country progress—and obstacles to progress—towards achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. It focuses, like previous Countdown reports, on evidence-based solutions—health interventions proven to save lives—and on the health systems, policies, financing and broader contextual factors that affect the equitable delivery of these interventions to women and children. Country profiles for 75 Countdown countries were published together with the report.
Preparing the Next Generation of Community Health Workers: The Power of Technology for Training
May 2012 - A generation ago, few would have dreamed that mobile technology would create five billion points of contact around the world or that nine out of 10 internet users in Sub-Saharan Africa would access the internet through mobile devices. They could not have imagined how innovative technologies such as Skype, Facebook, and African-born solutions like M-PESA would transform spheres of business, politics, and society. What if these same, disruptive technologies could be applied to transform global health for the next generation?
This study builds on the momentum and excitement generated by the launch of mHealth Education at the 2011 Mobile Health Summit in Cape Town regarding the use of mobile technology to support health education and training in developing countries. The findings and analysis presented in the chapters that follow would not have been possible without the individuals from more than 30 organizations who shared their insights, data and perspectives, as well as the peer reviewers, who provided valuable feedback and refinements.
Latest estimates of causes of child mortality in 2010 with time trends since 2000
The Lancet - 11 May 2012 - Child survival strategies should direct resources toward the leading causes of child mortality, with attention focusing on infectious and neonatal causes. More rapid decreases from 2010—15 will need accelerated reduction for the most common causes of death, notably pneumonia and preterm birth complications. Continued efforts to gather high-quality data and enhance estimation methods are essential for the improvement of future estimates.
8 June 2012 – Preventing and treating pneumonia and diarrhoea – the two leading causes of death among children under five – can help save the lives of more than two million children, according to a report released today by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“We know what works against pneumonia and diarrhoea – the two illnesses that hit the poorest hardest,” UNICEF’s Executive Director, Anthony Lake, said in a news release. “Scaling up simple interventions could overcome two of the biggest obstacles to increasing child survival, help give every child a fair chance to grow and thrive.”
Pneumonia and diarrhoea account for nearly one-third of the deaths among children under five globally – or more than 2 million lives each year. Nearly 90 per cent of deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The prevention and treatments for both diseases often overlap, and include such basic steps as: increasing vaccine coverage; encouraging breastfeeding and hand-washing with soap; expanding access to safe drinking water and sanitation; and disseminating oral rehydration salts to children with diarrhoea and antibiotics to children with bacterial pneumonia.
Download pdf report
"'We, as the leaders of WHO and UNICEF, are personally committed to the achievement of MDG 4 and new targets introduced through A Call to Action and A Promise Renewed. The two agencies will work in an even closer collaboration to support countries to achieve universal coverage of effective interventions - and effectively put an end to preventable child deaths."
Thanks in large part to the increased attention to maternal and child survival brought about by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the world has made substantial progress in reducing child mortality over the past two decades. The number of deaths among children younger than 5 years has declined from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7·6 million in 2010. The mortality rate in children under 5 years has dropped from 88 deaths per 1000 livebirths in 1990 to 57 in 2010—a 35% reduction. The rate of decline in the under 5 mortality rate has accelerated from 1·9% a year from 1990 to 2000 to 2·5% a year from 2000 to 2010. The rate of reduction has doubled in sub-Saharan Africa. These gains underline the importance of having clearly defined targets, especially when they are combined with mechanisms for monitoring progress, ensuring equity, and promoting accountability.
Social autopsy and lack of healthcare knowledge as a contributing factor to avoidable death
The importance of understanding the circumstances, decisions and actions that lead to individual preventable deaths:
'Every death is the result of a chain of circumstances, decisions and actions - a chain that could be broken, and a death avoided, by something as simple as very basic healthcare knowledge. This kind of research, which is sometimes called social autopsy, is difficult and challenging as it involves in-depth interviews with bereaved family members. But every death has an important story to tell and vital lessons to be learned. A thematic analysis of these stories would help families, communities, health workers and policymakers to avoid further deaths in the future.' - Neil Pakenham-Walsh, HIFA2015, June 2011
Tools that enable health workers to carefully review each death that occurs in their institution with the goal of breaking the 'chain to death':
Perinatal Problem Identification Program - (PPIP) Perinatal Mortality Audit Tool - At present this database contains data of more than 1,800,000 births. If you are involved in perinatal health care, you can become part of this national effort to improve the care our mothers and babies receive.
The Saving Children reports give an overview of child mortality in South African hospitals, using the Child PIP mortality audit process to assess the quality of care that children receive in the South African health system. Through this process, problems are identified and solutions devised at local, provincial and national levels, which can lead to improvements in quality of care and ultimately to reduced in-hospital mortality for children.
World Health Statistics 2012 contains WHO's annual compilation of health-related data for its 194 Member States, and includes a summary of the progress made towards achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and associated targets. This year, it also includes highlight summaries on the topics of noncommunicable diseases, universal health coverage and civil registration coverage.
Factors causing mass population flight are growing and over the coming decade more people on the move will become refugees or displaced within their own country. Displacement from conflict was becoming compounded by a combination of causes, including climate change, population growth, urbanization, food insecurity, water scarcity and resource competition.
All these factors are interacting with each other, increasing instability and conflict and forcing people to move. In a world that is becoming smaller and smaller, finding solutions, he said, would need determined international political will.
Solution Exchange is a Knowledge Management initiative of the United Nations Country Team in India. The brand is recognized by development professionals as a platform for exchange of ideas and dialogue between different stakeholders. SE membership is a talent pool of more than 35,000 subscriptions including practitioners from civil society, grass roots organizations, academics, research institutions and government who come together to share knowledge and best practices, provide solutions and address development challenges. There are 13 Communities of Practice organized around national priorities and MDGs, facilitated by different UN agencies. Solution Exchange (SE) offers a free, impartial space where all partners are welcome members of the community.
Maternal and Child Health Community of Practice of Solution Exchange aids in addressing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) relating to improving maternal and child health and to reducing maternal, infant and child mortality. The community has been in existence for last 7 years with a membership of about 4,000 MCH practitioners, has discussed over 190 issues which are available here- Maternal and Child Health Community - For queries and subscription, write to se-mch@solutionexchange.un.in
What do you picture when you think of the way you'd want to be treated when it's time to have a baby? Pregnant women around the world seeking maternity care from the health systems in their countries instead receive ill treatment that ranges from disrespect of their autonomy and dignity to outright abuse: physical assault, verbal insults, discrimination, abandonment, or detention in facilities for failure to pay. Disrespect and abuse during maternity care are a violation of a woman's basic human rights. We have to break the silence.
Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers 2012 Report
"Our research shows that a mother's breast milk — one single nutrition intervention — can save a million children's lives each year,... All mothers should have the support they need to choose to breastfeed if they want to. Breastfeeding is good for babies no matter where they live, but in developing countries, especially those without access to clean water, breastfeeding can be a matter of life or death."
15 Million babies born too soon. 1.1 Million preterm babies die every year, but with inexpensive treatment 75% could survive
Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth. The report shows the extent to which preterm birth is on the rise in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia.
Addressing preterm birth is now an urgent priority for reaching Millennium Development Goal 4, calling for the reduction of child deaths by two-thirds by 2015. This report shows that rapid change is possible and identifies priority actions for everyone.
This inspiring report is a joint effort of almost 50 international, regional and national organizations, led by the March of Dimes, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Save the Children and the World Health Organization in support of the Every Woman Every Child effort, led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Preterm birth is the second largest direct cause of child deaths in children younger than 5 years. Yet, data regarding preterm birth (<37 completed weeks of gestation) are not routinely collected by UN agencies, and no systematic country estimates nor time trend analyses have been done. We report worldwide, regional, and national estimates of preterm birth rates for 184 countries in 2010 with time trends for selected countries, and provide a quantitative assessment of the uncertainty surrounding these estimates.
Adolescence is a formative period during which children grow into their rightful place as full citizens and agents of change in their own lives and the lives of their societies. Progress for Children: A report card on adolescents provides an overview of the situation of adolescents, including of their vulnerabilities in critical areas. It makes a compelling case for increased efforts in advocacy, programming and policy, and for investment, to ensure the rights of adolescents and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Download PDF - UNICEF - 52 pages - April 2012 - ISBN: 978-92-806-4629-0
According to UNICEF, of the 8.1 million child deaths (under-5s) in 2009, most (and 70% in developing countries) result from one the following five causes or a combination thereof: acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, measles, malaria and malnutrition.
Two-thirds of deaths are preventable. Malnutrition, which weakens the body's resistance to illness, and the lack of safe water and sanitation contribute to half of all these children’s deaths. Millions more survive only to face diminished futures, unable to develop to their full potential. Research and experience show that most of the children who die each year could be saved by low-tech, evidence-based, cost-effective measures such as vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplementation, insecticide-treated bed nets, improved family care and breastfeeding practices, and oral rehydration therapy. In addition to providing vaccines and antibiotics to children, education could also be provided to mothers about how they can make simple changes to living conditions such as improving hygiene in order to increase the health of their children. Mothers who are educated will also have increased confidence in the ability to take care of their children, therefore providing a healthier relationship and environment for them.
Toilets are extremely important for public health, and – when you think of it – even human dignity. For most of us living in the developed world, we often don't give them much thought.
The flush toilets we use in the wealthy world are irrelevant, impractical and impossible for 40 percent of the global population, because they often don't have access to water, and sewers, electricity, and sewage treatment systems. Worldwide, there are 2.5 billion people without access to safe sanitation—including 1 billion people who still defecate out in the open and more than 1 billion others who must use pit latrines.
Food and water tainted with fecal matter causes diarrheal diseases that kill 1.5 million children every year - more than the annual deaths from AIDS and malaria combined.
Nearly half of India's 1.2 billion people have no toilet at home, but more people own a mobile phone, according to the country's latest census data. Only 46.9% of the 246.6 million households have toilets while 49.8% defecate in the open. The remaining 3.2% use public toilets.
Census of India 2011 - Availability and Type of Latrine Facility: 2001-2011 - Census 2011 data on houses, household amenities and assets reveal that 63.2% of homes have a telephone. More than half the population – 53.2% – have a mobile phone.
About 77% of homes in the eastern state of Jharkhand have no toilet facilities, while the figure is 76.6% for Orissa and 75.8% in Bihar. All three are among India's poorest states. In Jammu & Kashmir 8.9% of households still have their latrines emptied by manual scavengers.
"Open defecation continues to be a big concern for the country as almost half of the population do it," Registrar General and Census Commissioner C. Chandramouli said while releasing the latest data. "Cultural and traditional reasons and a lack of education are the prime reasons for this unhygienic practice. We have to do a lot in these fronts," he said.
Explore the app - Hesperian’s comprehensive app on pregnancy and birth contains a wealth of information on:
• how to stay healthy during pregnancy
• how to recognize danger signs during pregnancy, birth, and after birth
• what to do when a danger sign arises
• when to refer a woman to emergency care
• instructions for community health workers with step-by-step explanations such as "How to take blood pressure", "How to treat someone in shock", "How to stop bleeding".
For iPhone and iPod Touch: Download the app for free from the iTunes store.
For Android: Download the beta release of the Android version for free from the Google Play app store.
As this is a beta release, we are aware that it still needs a little work in places. We welcome feedback and code contributions to help improve the experience. Please reach out to us at mobile@hesperian.org, and you can find the source code here.
Don’t have an iPhone or Android? If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can preview the app here. (Please keep in mind that the app was built to be viewed on a mobile device, so please forgive us if the quality is not perfect.)
Hundreds of millions of children today live in urban slums, many without access to basic services.
We must do more to reach all children in need, wherever they are excluded and left behind. Some might ask whether we can afford to do this, especially at a time of austerity. But if we overcome the barriers that have kept these children from the services that they need and that are theirs by right, then millions more will grow up healthy, attend school and live more productive lives.
Can we afford not to do this? - Anthony Lake - Executive Director, UNICEF
Hands to Hearts International’s Baby Massage DVD teaches basic baby massage strokes that not only make your little one happy but build loving bonds crucial to their development. When you purchase our Baby Massage DVD for yourself, or as a gift, you’re contributing to HHI’s work with orphaned and vulnerable children around India.
* Reduces baby’s fussiness and crying
* Improves baby’s sleep
* Decreases constipation and colic
* Increases bond between parent and child
* Relaxing for baby and parent
* Filmed in India. The DVD is available in English, with subtitles in the following 18 languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Finnish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Oriya, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Along with your DVD you’ll receive an instructional poster with pictures to guide your baby massage. Cost: $25 USD, shipping included for a limited time. Order here.
In developing countries, one child in 10 dies before reaching their fifth birthday, compared with 1 in 143 in high-income countries.
Today, there is a 36-year gap in life expectancy between countries. A child born in Malawi can expect to live for 47 years while a child born in Japan could live for as long as 83 years. (1) In Chad, every fifth child dies before they reach the age of 5, while in the WHO European Region, the under-five mortality rate is 13 out of 1000. (2) There is no biological or genetic reason for these alarming differences in health and life opportunity.
HEAT is health education and training programme, created by The UK Open University, and developed in partnership with African health experts, UNICEF, WHO and AMREF in response to the urgent need for education and training for frontline health workers.
HEAT was launched in Ethiopia in 2011; the first thousand community health workers are coming to the end of their studies this year, and another 3,000 are joining the programme in 2013.
So what is HEAT, and how does it work?
At its simplest, HEAT is a scalable & sustainable training programme for healthcare workers that provides them with the training and expertise to save lives in their communities. The 13 theoretical training HEAT Modules were written by African authors, in collaboration with OU academics. They cover areas of healthcare including maternal, newborn and child health, family planning, nutrition, and communicable and non-communicable diseases, providing the healthcare workers with the knowledge they need to save lives in their communities. The theoretical training materials are available online (but can easily be downloaded and printed which is how they are being used in Ethiopia): http://www8.open.ac.uk/africa/heat/ (click on 'Resources' to see the materials).
All of the materials are published under an open educational resource licence so they are free to access, download, version and use, as long as the original authorship is acknowledged.
Where the theoretical training is supported and balanced by practical training, delivered by local experts, it can help to provide community health workers the essential practical skills that they need to become effective health carers.
We are currently talking with governments, NGOs and others in Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Nepal and elsewhere about using HEAT materials to help improve training programmes for frontline health workers.
PubMed Bookshelf provides free access to over 700 texts in life science and healthcare.'
Progress in women's and children's health depends on how efficiently knowledge on effective strategies and interventions can be translated into action. PMNCH Knowledge Summaries synthesize the scientific evidence in a short, user-friendly format to inform policy and practice, and can be a useful resource for policymakers, advocates, program managers and others. The Knowledge Summaries bring together information from trusted sources such as journal articles, systematic reviews, technical guidelines, policy documents etc., and each summary is peer-reviewed. We will provide links to new summaries as they are released.
Needs and Challenges: Women's and Children's Health: A Two-page Graphical and Geographical Summary of Needs and Challenges [Download (PDF)]
Additional resources: RMNCH essential packages ofinterventions by level and commodity requirements [High (PDF) – Low (PDF)]
*This is a practical document from PMNCH and the University of Aberdeen. It includes a collection of twelve Knowledge Summaries that focus on action. These constitute the first edition of PMNCH Knowledge Summaries, launched at the November 2010 Partners' Forum. PMNCH Knowledge Summaries 1 to 12: Sharing Knowledge for Action on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. High (PDF) – Low (PDF) Introduction and Acknowledgements [High (PDF) – Low(PDF)]
The 'Repository on Maternal Child Health' is a virtual guide to Child Health and related Maternal Health information relevant to Public Health in India. It is a one-stop access to efficiently search, organize and share latest information.
United Nations Social Development Network (UNSDN) to share knowledge and good practices among social development professionals worldwide on ageing, civil society, cooperatives, disability, employment, family, indigenous peoples, poverty, social integration, technology and youth. UNSDN is also uniquely positioned to disseminate information and knowledge produced by the United Nations system in the area of social development, particularly on the three core issues of poverty eradication, employment generation and social integration. UNSDN will act as a major interface between DESA and its partners working in the areas of social development. DESA intends to strengthen its relationships with its partners involved in advancing the global social development agenda.
There is an increasing awareness that knowledge is central to all development efforts as it empowers social actors to find appropriate solutions to their own challenges. By sharing knowledge, the portal aims to assist Member States in the development of policies and practices that promote the goals of the World Summit for Social Development.
Taking care of a baby at home after birth: What families need to do Download pdf
This flipbook, released in Nov. 2011, contains key messages that pregnant women and their families need in order to plan care of an infant at home right after birth. It focuses on essential actions families can take both to prevent newborn death and illness and to promote healthy newborn development.
This material encourages use, whenever possible, of skilled birth attendants and clinical services and, where that is not realistic, provides some information on what families can do for pregnant women and care of the baby at birth.
Even where mothers deliver with a skilled birth attendant in a health facility, they are often sent home within 6-12 hours of delivery. This material can also be used with women going home soon after delivery in a health facility. It highlights danger signs in the infant that require immediate attention and referral.
This tool was developed by CORE Group, in collaboration with Save the Children, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and MCHIP.
This material is meant for outreach to pregnant women and their families with poor access to health services. These communities may also have low-literacy levels and/or poor access to health information. It is important to test the material with outreach workers and community members to be sure the messages are understood and acceptable. For guidance on adapting or testing this material, please email contact@coregroupdc.org.
This guide, based on the latest available evidence, provides up-to-date, authoritative clinical guidelines that are relevant to a facility with basic laboratory facilities, selected essential drugs and supplies, and the capability to provide safe blood transfusion. In some settings, the guide will be relevant to large health centres that provide childbirth care and have the capacity to care for sick or small newborn babies.
Aimed at skilled attendants working at the primary health care level in settings with limited resources, this book provide guidance on how to deliver essential care to women (and their newborn) during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period (up to six weeks after delivery)
A must for midwives and doctors at the district hospital who are responsible for the care of women with complications of pregnancy, childbirth or the immediate postpartum period, including immediate problems of the newborn. Both physicians and midwives will find this manual essential for promoting and assessing the quality of health services, in the training of providers and in supporting quality services through supervision and performance feed-back.
This publication is intended to assist health care managers and practitioners in resource-limited reproductive health care settings around the world to meet the needs of individuals who may be at risk of reproductive tract infections (RTIs).
It is assumed that readers are familiar with certain clinical knowledge, such as drugs and their dosages, although they may not have experience with management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and RTIs.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a public health problem of major signifi cance in most parts of the world. The incidence of acute STIs is believed to be high in many countries. Failure to diagnose and treat STIs at an early stage may result in serious complications and sequelae, including infertility, fetal wastage, ectopic pregnancy, anogental cancer and premature death, as well as neonatal and infant infections. The individual and national expenditure on STI care can be substantial.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Open Courseware - Courses in public health open to all in areas such as Injury prevention, Environment, Public health preparedness, Mental health, Health policy. Each course offers syllabus outline, lecture materials with slides and audio, readings, assignments, and projects.
Health Manager's Toolkit
Provides a selection of tools for health professionals to offer high quality and sustainable health services. The tools are organised by subject area, which include Community health services, Drug and supply management, Health policy and reform, Monitoring and evaluation, etc. Each includes spreadsheet templates, forms for data gathering, checklists, guidelines, and self-assessment tools.
Demographic & Health Surveys (Measure DHS)
Provides a wide range of reliable health data for most African countries in which comparative tables can be compiled by country and by a number of important health indicators. Most countries now have several reports over a number of years.
The Lancet's Public Health Collection
A wide range of over 750 key articles from 2006 to present in public health focusing on low- and middle-income countries - most are available free, or otherwise available through Hinari. See also its Global Health Series.
The Trials Register of Promoting Health Interventions (TRoPHI)
A worldwide database of randomised and non-randomised interventions in health promotion and public health searchable by country, health focus, population group, intervention characteristics.
World Health Statistics 2012 contains WHO's annual compilation of health-related data for its 194 Member States, and includes a summary of the progress made towards achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and associated targets.
This year, it also includes highlight summaries on the topics of noncommunicable diseases, universal health coverage and civil registration coverage.
In every country and community worldwide, pregnancy and childbirth are momentous events in the lives of women and families and represent a time of intense vulnerability. Imagine the personal treatment you would expect from a maternity care provider entrusted to help you or a woman you love give birth. Naturally, we envision a relationship characterized by caring, empathy, support, trust, confidence, and empowerment, as well as gentle, respectful, and effective communication to enable informed decision making.
Unfortunately, too many women experience care that does not match this image. Pregnant women seeking maternity care instead too often receive ill treatment that ranges from relatively subtle disrespect of their autonomy and dignity to outright abuse: physical assault, verbal insults, discrimination, abandonment, or detention in facilities for failure to pay. Disrespect and abuse of women during maternity care is a problem that has been obscured by a "veil of silence".
NO MORE.
Through the USAID Health Policy Project, partners from the research, educational, clinical, human rights, and global and national advocacy communities are working collaboratively to establish a growing community of concern determined to address the issue of disrespect and abuse during maternity care. This month we are pleased to launch the RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE CHARTER: THE UNIVERSAL RIGHTS OF CHILDBEARING WOMEN and new advocacy materials, based on this rights framework, that convey the message RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE is every woman's right.
Now we are calling on you to join us by learning more and engaging your communities to speak out and break the silence.
It is an appraisal study of NRHM done by the Population Research Centre, Institute of Economic Growth to evaluate performance of NRHM in seven states of India viz. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Tamil Nadu. The objective of the study is to evaluate and assess the availability, adequacy and utilization of health services in the rural areas, the role played by ASHAs, AYUSH in creating awareness of health, nutrition among the rural population and to identify the constraints and catalysts in the implementation of the NRHM programmes. Besides studying the utilization aspects of health services, other crucial factors like availability, planning and preparedness of health facilities and human resources, drugs availability, quality of MCH care and diagnostic-services, referral services, process of accreditation, effective decentralization, effective utilization of funds, etc. have also been studied. Simultaneous attention on programs impacting nutrition, capacity building, communitization, empowerment, etc. are equally important for effective utilization of the health.
Only four years remain to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4), which calls for reducing the under-five mortality rate by twothirds between 1990 and 2015. Since 1990 the under-five mortality rate has dropped 35 percent, with every developing region seeing at least a 30 percent reduction. However, at the global level progress is behind schedule, and the target is at risk of being missed by 2015. The global underfive mortality rate needs to be halved from 57 deaths per 1,000 live births to 29—that implies an average rate of reduction of 13.5 percent a year, much higher than the 2.2 percent a year achieved between 1990 and 2010.
UN reports progress towards poverty alleviation, urges increased support for the poorest -
Download pdf
7 July 2011 – Some of the world’s poorest countries have made impressive gains in the fight against poverty, but the least developed countries still lag in efforts to improve living standards, the United Nations said today in a report showing significant overall progress towards achieving the global targets against extreme poverty.
Giving examples of achievements, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report – prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) – says that Burundi, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo and Tanzania attained or are nearing the goal of universal primary education, one of the targets.
Eliminating health inequities - Every woman and every child countsDownload pdf
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in partnership with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
Health inequities are affecting the life and future of all vulnerable groups of society across the world, creating systems of social injustice. By dismantling the barriers to health services and resources, we reduce the burden of disease that affects the future of children, impoverishes entire families and passes social injustice on through the generations. In this report, we focus on women and children not only because many of them suffer undue hardship, but also because women are instrumental in improving the health of their children, families and communities.
This report provides evidence that health inequities can and need to be addressed through a holistic approach. Health inequities, and the resulting social injustice are closely linked with other issues such as poverty, gender inequality and human rights violations which in turn, have an impact on education, transport, health, agriculture, and overall well-being. Our interventions should therefore be multi-sectoral, going beyond health to address social and economic determinants - malnutrition, alcohol abuse, poor housing, indoor air pollution and poverty, among others.
Community Health Workers (CHW) Central
An online resource for information and dialogue about Community Health Workers (CHW). CHWs play an important role in increasing access to health services in poor and underserved communities around the world. CHW Central supports community health workers and strengthens CHW programs by connectingexperts, practitioners, and supporters in interactive discussion forums and sharing the latest developments in CHW research, practice, and policy.
The current shortage of over 3.5 million doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers means that millions of children do not receive the health care they need, and risk an early death from preventable causes. We cannot achieve the goal of saving 15 million children’s lives by 2015 unless a health worker – with the right skills, equipment and support – is within reach of every child.
The new report sets out the scale and the causes of the crisis, and recommendations for how it can be overcome. Progress will require political action at the global level, backed by strong national efforts in every country with a critical shortage of health workers.
Increased long-term investment is needed to recruit and train more health workers, with a balance across different cadres. At the same time better use of the existing workforce must be made by ensuring they are equitably deployed, receive a fair living wage, and are well supported, trained, equipped and motivated. Tackling the health worker crisis will also require governments and donors to spend more, and spend more smartly, focusing on areas that will have the greatest impact on children’s health.
More Health Workers
The world is suffering from a massive gap of more than 3.5 million health workers. Join with hundreds of organisations who have already signed up to our urgent call for more health workers, better supported.
click here
Health workers are the cornerstone and drivers of health systems. And yet the world is facing a serious shortage of health workers – a shortage that is identified as one of the most critical constraints to the achievement of health and development goals.
This crisis is impairing the provision of essential, life-saving interventions such as childhood immunization, safe pregnancy and delivery services for mothers, and access to treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
New and innovative initiatives are urgently needed to increase the numbers of trained health workers. This requires scaling up investment in education, skill mix and remuneration of the workforce as laid out in the Kampala Declaration and Agenda for Global Action, endorsed in March 2008 at the First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health.
Imagine if pregnant women and their kids in developing countries could be given simple, lifesaving health care, even when miles away from a hospital or doctor. Community health workers—trained practitioners who provide health care for pregnant women, assist in childbirth, and treat newborns—provide just that service. Without community health workers, pregnant women and newborn babies in the developing world are at risk for disease. More than 350,000 women die in childbirth and pregnancy each year, and almost 3.6 million babies die before they are a month old. Even small complications can be deadly for people living so far away from hospitals. Community health workers are saving lives by using a very basic—but very important—set of solutions and techniques.
Each year, millions of women and children die from preventable causes. These are not mere statistics. They are people with names and faces. Their suffering is unacceptable in the 21st century. We must, therefore, do more for the newborn who succumbs to infection for want of a simple injection, and for the young boy who will never reach his full potential because of malnutrition. We must do more for the teenage girl facing an unwanted pregnancy; for the married woman who has found she is infected with the HIV virus; and for the mother who faces complications in childbirth. � more
UN launches $40bn woman and child health plan
The UN has launched a $40bn health initiative aimed at saving the lives of 16 million women and children over the next five years. About eight million under-fives die every year and more than a third of a million women lose their lives during pregnancy or childbirth.
This resource provides more than 750 useful websites for health professionals, medical library communities, publishers, and NGOs in developing and emerging countries.
Users should note that the compilers do not have sufficient resources to evaluate the scientific accuracy of each website that is included in Essential Health Links.
The Lancet Global Health Portal The Lancet has a commitment to improving global health, and this area gathers all our global health content in one location. Global health content is free to all users, so if you have an interest in this area, spend some time browsing our content. World Reports and Perspectives articles are ideal for anyone who wants a personal view on a subject, and The Lancet Global Health Series, and Regional Reports and Commissions provide in-depth views for anyone seeking disease-specific or regional information.
Specialty Collections The Lancet Global and Public Health Specialty Collections contain all public and global health Articles, Reviews, Seminars, and Comments for each specialty, published in all Lancet journals from 2006. Browse the collections, or create alerts to receive email updates as soon as articles in your specialty are published.
Author: UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNDP, UNAIDS, WFP and the World Bank
Publication date: April 2010
Languages: English French Spanish
The fourth edition of Facts for Life contains essential information that families and communities need to know to raise healthy children. This handbook provides practical advice on pregnancy, childbirth, childhood illnesses, child development and the care of children. This edition also features a new chapter on child protection. The book is intended for parents, families, health workers, teachers, youth groups, women’s groups, community organizations, government officials, employers, trade unions, media, and non-governmental and faith-based organizations.
Baby Massage DVD
Hands to Hearts International’s Baby Massage DVD teaches basic baby massage strokes that not only make your little one happy but build loving bonds crucial to their development. When you purchase our Baby Massage DVD for yourself, or as a gift, you’re contributing to HHI’s work with orphaned and vulnerable children around India.
Benefits of Baby Massage:
* Reduces baby’s fussiness and crying
* Improves baby’s sleep
* Decreases constipation and colic
* Increases bond between parent and child
* Relaxing for baby and parent
Along
with your DVD you’ll receive an instructional poster with pictures to guide your baby massage. Cost: $25 USD, shipping included for a limited time.
Order here.
* Filmed in India. The DVD is available in English, with subtitles in the following 18
languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Finnish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Oriya, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Why Is Breastfeeding So Important? Download .pdf 17.5 mb.
Breastfeeding provides the perfect nutrition for your baby and provides many health benefits for both mother and baby. - Initiating breast feeding within the first hour and exclusive breastfeeding can prevent under two mortality. - Breastfeeding: Exclusive breastfeeding - Colostrum - Gift of a protective cover from the mother - We believe all mothers know how to feed their child. But do they? - Myths and facts about breast milk - Complimentary feeding - Role of media in promoting proper young child feeding: Media should focus on and promote measures that are required to be taken urgently to ensure the survival of children
Since its founding in 1985, IRH has been recognized as a leader in the effort to improve reproductive health worldwide. The Institute’s strengths are its quantitative and qualitative research skills, its focus on critical needs in reproductive health, and its research-to-practice strategy that includes working with partners to build capacity for sustainable services. The Institute collaborates with a wide variety of organizations from central to community levels to implement evidence-based service delivery programs in countries worldwide.
WHO - The Health Academy's goal is to improve knowledge about attaining and maintaining good health. Through eLearning – which is how WHO defines learning by any electronic technology and media – the Organization has the means to reach out to people with information on disease prevention and health promotion. What is particularly important is the ability to reach school-age children, those aged from 12-18 years.
WHO is in a unique position to provide this information with its access to health expertise and rich information resources including those from its 193 Member States.
The KM toolkit brings together a wealth of KM resources from the field of international public health and development that are applicable to the field or can be adapted. The toolkit is structured to encompass all the levels of program planning and implementation for a KM strategy from the elevator pitch to monitoring and evaluation, with links to prominent KM resources and websites.
The toolkit is a product of the Knowledge Management Working Group which is comprised of C-Change, Child Fund International, Core Group, FHI 360, Institute for Reproductive Health: Georgetown University, IntraHealth International, the K4Health project, University Research Co, LLC, US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the USAID Policy Institute and WHO Department of Reproductive Health (RHR).
Eldis aims to share the best in development, policy, practice and research. Eldis is one of a family of knowledge services from the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex. Eldis is funded by UKaid and Irish Aid.
26,000 full text documents free to download
We maintain an ever-growing collection of editorially selected and abstracted full-text, online documents selected by our editors from more
than 7,500 different publishers. All documents are available free of charge
Eldis resource guides
Our 24 subject-focused guides offer quick access to key documents, organisations, research themes, discussions and other key resources
Eldis country profiles
Quick access to our database arranged by country, plus quick links to country briefing services on other websites
Eldis email newsletters
Our email news services bring the latest research to your mail-box on 35 topics
Eldis newsfeeds
Add an Eldis RSS newsfeed to your website or newsreader for the latest information on 25 topics
Resource guides provide quick access to research on major policy and research issues
Dossiers are narrative in format giving the context to an issue with case studies and further reading
Healthy Child Uganda (HCU) is a partnership between Ugandan and Canadian universities with active participation by local Ugandan communities. The Ugandan partners are Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mbarara and Bushenyi Health Districts; the Canadian partners are the University of Calgary, Dalhousie University, and the Canadian Paediatric Society. These groups share a common goal of improving child health in rural southwestern Uganda.
HCU develops and evaluates programs and provides training so Ugandan health care staff, community health workers, and parents themselves are better able to prevent child deaths and keep their children healthy.
Child health is a challenge in rural Uganda. Nearly one in five children die before their fifth birthday when almost all child deaths could be prevented using simple, inexpensive solutions.
ELD Training provides practical training and consultancy services to development organisations worldwide. Active since 2000 in South and South-East Asia, ELD services are now available to development partners throughout Asia and Africa.
Toolkits and Manuals allowing development professionals in all countries to benefit from our knowledge
Good health at low cost - 25 years on. What Makes a successful health system? Editors: Dina Balabanova; Martin McKee; Anne Mills - London School of
Hygiene & Tropical Medicine LSHTM - 2011 full book PDF - 399 pages 5.6Mb | mirror copy
'Why do some low and middle income countries manage to achieve good health outcomes while others fail? What factors drive improvements in the health system and in access to primary health care? How can we act on the social determinants of health in cash-strapped economies?
These questions are as relevant today as they were in 1985 when the Rockefeller Foundation published what was to become a seminal report - Good health at low cost. The report explored why some low and middle income countries achieved better health outcomes than others, making Good health at low cost essential reading for health systems decision- and policy-makers alike.
This new edition of Good health at low cost 25 years on draws on a series of new case studies from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Tamil Nadu and Thailand providing fresh insights into the role of effective institutions, innovation and country ownership in catalysing improvements in health.
New challenges such as increasing urbanisation, a growing private sector and an upsurge in non-communicable diseases suggest that both learning from the past and new thinking are required to strengthen health systems. This edition provides both and is a vital resource for academics, policy-makers and practitioners grappling with how to improve health in low and middle income countries..'
The authors emphasise the need for a 'systems thinking approach that understands the relationships between different health system components, the context in which the systems exist, and the sequencing of actions'. In their conclusion, the authors say: 'The key message of this book is that success in improving health and delivering health care is facilitated by capacity, both individual and institutional, continuity, or the ability to maintain a course even when all around is changing, catalysts, or the ability to seize windows of opportunity, and sensitivity to context, so that policies that are adopted take account of the circumstances in which they will be implemented'. Their 'Pathways to Improving Health and Access to Care' include 'Political commitment... Collaboration... Flexible use of health workers... Building health system resilience... Economic factors... Social development'.
The Haiti Relief Toolkit is a one-stop source for technical and practical information that will help health workers, health policy makers, program managers, and others respond to the earthquake relief efforts underway in Haiti. The toolkit covers the vital sectors in emergencies, including health, water and sanitation, food security, and shelter.
(For those who do not have Internet access or whose access is sporadic, K4Health is making the toolkit available on flash drives. To request the toolkit on flash drive, contact K4Health by e-mail at toolkit orders@k4health.org ; by phone at 1-410-659-6300; or by mail at K4Health Project, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA)
Over 65 publishers have resources in this toolkit. The resources include manuals, reference tables, checklists, briefs, pamphlets, posters, and teaching and training materials, and tools and job aids. Feel free to adapt them for your local circumstances and languages. If you would like to suggest resources, please use the discussion board link.
To browse the contents of the toolkit, use the navigation tabs above. You can also use the Quick Links on this page to access key information quickly on such topics as Girls and Women, Children and Youth, and People with Disabilities. Under the healthcare tab you can find resources on Cholera, Dental Care, Gender, Health Systems Strengthening, Heat Related Illness, Infectious Diseases, Reproductive Health, Vaccination, Violence Prevention, and more.
Another quick way to find all the resources on a particular topic is to use the search box at the top of any page. For example, if you type in “Cholera” you will see a list of results, including a comprehensive and easy to use Fact Sheet from PAHO/WHO on how to prevent, identify, and treat the disease.
For more detailed information about the Haiti Relief Toolkit, use the About link at top of this page.
Medical Aid Films (MAF - MedicalAidFilms.org) is a cutting edge film-making charity. We produce training films and animations for grassroots health workers in low income countries. Our films provide information and medical techniques on issues surrounding safe childbirth and infant health, with the aim of saving the lives of vulnerable women and children around the world.
Approximately one woman a minute dies in childbirth. We hope that by using film and animation to train health workers, we can overcome literacy and language barriers that so often impede learning.
This animation is part of Basic Obstetric Ultrasound Module. Films of this module are to be used when training midwives and clinical officers in basic obstetric ultrasound.
MAF tested this film while training clinical officers and nurses in Mozambique.
Very few people living in low resource areas of the world have any access to obstetric ultrasound. However, on-going studies show that at risk pregnancies can be highlighted and appropriate and timely referral of women can have an impact on the morbidity and mortality rate of women in these countries.
This is an animation showing a method of screening for cervical cancer in resource poor, developing countries.
Test such as the pap smear require access to skilled health care and labs for testing samples and HPV (the virus responsible for most cervical cancers) testing kits remain expensive, yet VIA offers a low cost alternative which can be performed with minimal resources.
Primary Post-partum Haemorrhage (PPH) is one of the major causes of maternal death in the developing world.
This animation is aimed at women and TBAs.
It teaches how to prevent and manage PPH in settings where it would take the woman more than 4 hours to reach skilled obstetric care. It demonstrates the use of Misoprostol as well as internal bimanual compression.
A new study from Tanzania has shown that 'Tanzanian assistant medical officers, clinical officers, and nurse-midwives can be trained as a team, in a three-month course, to provide effective comprehensive emergency obstetrical care and anaesthesia in remote health centres'.
'In Tanzania, 47% of pregnant women deliver in health facilities and only 46% of deliveries are assisted by skilled personnel. The met need for emergency obstetric care, at 15-30%, and the caesarean section rate (CSR) of 3% are still below ideal levels and constitute the lowest rates in the world... Considering that most Sub-Saharan countries are already off-track in their attempts to achieve the MDGs for maternal and perinatal survival, evidence resulting from the current training programmes calls for urgency to scale up the application of the concept of 'task shifting' with the use of NPCs for CEmOC services provision and anaesthesia.'
"...The Health Communicator's Social Media Toolkit, originally released in September 2010, is a resource designed to provide partners with guidance and to share CDC's lessons learned in integrating social media into health campaigns.
The second edition is now available with additional information on developing trends in social media, best practices and a campaign example highlighting Vital Signs, a monthly program that focuses on a single, important health topic that provides a "call to action" for different audiences. Updated information includes the following:
Expanded Mobile Health section including information on mobile websites, downloadable applications and SMS text messaging.
Increased capabilities of Twitter to include Twitter Chats, Twitterviews, and Twitter Town Halls.
Enhanced best practices insight for Facebook, Twitter and Blogs.
Table of Contents
Social Media Introduction
Social Media Overview
Getting Your Feet Wet With Social Media
CDC's Top Lessons Learned from Using Social Media
Developing a Social Media Strategy
Social Media Monitoring and Evaluation
Governing Social Media Efforts
Social Media Tools
Buttons and Badges
Image Sharing
Content Syndication
RSS Feeds
Podcasts
Online Video Sharing
Widgets
eCards
Mobile Technologies
Twitter
Blogs
Facebook
Social Media Campaign Example
CDC Vital Signs Campaign
More Social Media Resources
Social Media Communications Strategy Worksheet
Social Media Evaluation Worksheet
References
Ministère de la Santé et de la Qualité de la Vie, Health IEC Unit, Republique de Maurice
Health Information, Education and Communication Unit at the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, Mauritius
The following pamphlets on Diabetes, Obesity, Healthy Nutrition, Alcohol abuse and Cigarette smoking are in French. For each topic, there is a recto (front) and verso (back) file. You just have to fix the recto on the verso (back to back), fold it into three and you get your pamphlet.
All document are in pdf format
India - The Right to Information Act is an act to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority, the constitution of a Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Government of India enacted the RTI Act 2005, which came into effect on 12th October 2005.
This is a pocket-sized manual for use by doctors, senior nurses and other senior health workers who are responsible for the care of young children at the first referral level in developing countries. It presents up-to-date clinical guidelines which are based on a review of the available published evidence by subject experts, for both inpatient and outpatient care in small hospitals where basic laboratory facilities and essential drugs and inexpensive medicines are available. It focuses on the inpatient management of the major causes of childhood mortality, such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, severe malnutrition, malaria, meningitis, measles, HIV infection and related conditions. It covers neonatal problems and surgical conditions of children which can be managed in small hospitals. This pocket book is part of a series of documents and tools that support the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI).
Whereas this manual focuses on treatment recommendations, a summary of the technical background and the evidence base underlying these clinical guidelines is presented in the background book Serious childhood problems in countries with limited resources (ISBN 29 4 156269 2).
This pocket book updates and expands the guidelines contained in Management of the child with a serious infection or severe malnutrition (WHO/FCH/CAH/00.1).
International Child Health Care - A Practical Manual for Hospitals Worldwide
This manual contains information, guidelines and suggestions about health care in virtually every situation and setting imaginable - peace and war, emergency and chronic, hospital and clinic. The advice is up to date and authoritative. It aims to be realistic, but at the same time does not compromise on standards. The authors believe that the health care professions around the world should be satisfied only with the best care for children.
Southall D, Coulter B, Ronald C, Parkes S, Nicholson S. - Published by British Medical Journal Books November 2001. (BOOK). Click here to view the downloads for the International Child Health Care manual Read the BMJ review of this book How to order this book
MCAI'S Manual on Child Protection for health workers to use in poorly resourced countries
This manual addresses the recognition and diagnosis of child physical and sexual abuse. It provides an evidence-based assessment suitable for doctors and other senior health workers caring for children of all ages presenting with symptoms or signs that might be due to abuse. If you would like a copy of the manual, please email the following address and include in the email evidence of your professional qualifications and your postal address so that we can send it to you as a hard copy: director@mcai.org.uk
Pocket Emergency Paediatric Care
Pocket Emergency Paediatric Care - A Practical Guide to the Diagnosis and Management of Paediatric Emergencies in hospitals and other healthcare facilities worldwide
Southall D and Ahmad S. - British Medical Journal Books. 2003. (BOOK). How to order this book
Refugee health: an approach to emergency situations
Ronald C, Southall D. - BMJ. 1999:318;200A. (BOOK REVIEW) Read the BMJ review of this book
Pathways of Emergency Care in pregnancy and childbirth, in the newborn and older child - November 2008
These pathways of care can be copied and used free of charge in poorly resourced countries. They are copyrighted to ALSG and MCAI and must not be altered or sold. We kindly request that any use of these by well resourced countries is accompanied by a donation to
ALSG and MCAI's Strengthening Emergency Care programme (SEC) (read more...)
The Global Health eLearning Center developed by the USAID Bureau of Global Health is a response to repeated requests from field staff for access to technical public health information. We have heard from USAID Population, Health, and Nutrition officers (PHNs) and from Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) that they want to be current on global health topics, yet find it a challenge to obtain the information because of logistical and time constraints. The Global Health eLearning Center provides Internet-based courses that:
Provide useful and timely continuing education for health professionals
Offer state-of-the-art technical content on key public health topics
Serve as a practical resource for increasing public health knowledge
The State of the World's Midwifery Report 2011
Increasing women's access to quality midwifery has become a focus of global efforts to realize the right of every woman to the best possible health care during pregnancy and childbirth. A first step is assessing the situation.
The State of World's Midwifery 2011: Delivering Health, Saving Lives, supported by 30 partners, provides the first comprehensive analysis of midwifery services and issues in countries where the needs are greatest.
The report provides new information and data gathered from 58 countries in all regions of the world. Its analysis confirms that the world lacks some 350,000 skilled midwives -- 112,000 in the neediest 38 countries surveyed -- to fully meet the needs of women around the world. The report explores a range of issues related to building up this key health workforce.
GAVI Alliance: Saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing access to immunisation in poor countries - With GAVI Alliance support, developing countries are making important progress in introducing life-saving vaccines faster than ever before.
Doctoral Midwifery Research Society
The main objective of the DMRS is to provide quality support and guidance to doctoral and post doctoral midwife and childbirth (or related) researchers regionally, nationally and internationally. The DMRS places a strong emphasis on doing and using research for the good of society and for the advancement of knowledge for childbirth practices.
Supercourse is a repository of lectures on global health and prevention designed to improve the teaching of prevention. Supercourse has a network of over 56000 scientists in 174 countries who are sharing for free a library of 4855 lectures in 31 languages. The Supercourse has been produced at the WHO Collaborating Center University of Pittsburgh
Nursing Supercourse is a global network of nurses. We aim to improve global health and prevention through collaboration. Nursing students are not getting adequate training in global health. We can change that by sharing lectures that are evidence based and up-to-date. Our lectures are driven by the global health trends.
Sharing In Health (SiH) is a website dedicated to addressing the shortage of primary health care providers in resource-poor settings through open-access training resources, designed for small-group learning and accessed through low-cost computers.
Built by students, for students, it depends on a global community to accomplish our goal of increasing global training capacity. This, we hope, will decrease the health care provider deficit, especially for primary care and public health in low-resourced areas.
It is intended to provide the following skills to campaigners:
An understanding of why and how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be appropriated by women’s rights and human rights groups in their advocacy skills through their use of online tools, including networking and mobile tools for advocacy and campaigning
The ability to develop an advocacy / communication strategy
Knowing what social networking is and the various spaces and tools they could use in their online activism
An understanding of online privacy and security issues relevant to building their online activism.
EBW Healthcare publishes an innovative series of distance-learning books for healthcare professionals, developed by the Perinatal Education Trust, Eduhealthcare, the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, with contributions from numerous experts.
Adult HIV, Birth Defects, Child Healthcare, Childhood HIV, Childhood TB, Intrapartum Care, Maternal Care, Mother and Baby Friendly Care, Newborn Care, Newborn Care, Perinatal HIV, Primary Maternal Care, Primary Newborn Care, Saving Mothers and Babies
The aim is to provide appropriate, affordable and up-to-date learning material for healthcare workers in under-resourced areas, so that they can manage their own continuing education courses which will enable them to learn, practise and deliver skillful, efficient patient care.
On a regular map, the sizes of the countries of the world are in proportion to their actual sizes on the surface of the planet and their shapes are the same as their actual shapes. Here are redrawn maps with the sizes of countries made bigger or smaller in order to represent something of interest. Such maps are called cartograms and can be an effective and natural way of portraying geographic or social data. Here are some examples of Population, Gross domestic product, Child mortality, People living with HIV/AIDS, Total spending on healthcare, Energy consumption (including oil), and Greenhouse gas emissions.
14 October, 2009 - New UNICEF/WHO Report Focuses Attention on Diarrheal Disease—the Second Leading Killer of Children Under 5—and Outlines 7-point Plan to Control This Preventable and Treatable Illness
The report highlights the proven diarrheal disease prevention and treatment solutions already available today. Many children in the developing world cannot access urgent medical care for severe illnesses, making prevention methods—including improved hygiene, sanitation, safe drinking water, exclusive breastfeeding, and vaccines preventing rotavirus—critical components of diarrheal disease control. When diarrhea occurs, it can be effectively treated with simple solutions, including oral rehydration therapy/oral rehydration solution, zinc and other micronutrients, and continued feeding.
(DFY) is a medical humanitarian organization created by doctors, medical students & like minded people in Mumbai, India in 2007. They provide assistance to vulnerable communities in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
Today, DFY is working on various projects in more than 6 states of India with the help of more than 500 doctors and youths. They work for efficient, effective and equitable distribution of health care in India. In 2010, DFY received the SAARC Award for outstanding contribution to humanitarian works in the aftermath of natural disasters.
UNICEF, WHO and WABA along with the scientific community strongly recommend initiating breastfeeding within an hour of birth.
Evidence shows that early initiation can prevent 22% of all deaths among babies below one month in developing countries.
Every newborn, when placed on the mother’s abdomen, soon after birth, has the ability to find its mother’s breast all on its own and to decide when to take the first breastfeed. This is called the ‘Breast Crawl’.
This method is evidence based and has been field tested by us. A documentary on the ‘Breast Crawl’ has been prepared for training, advocacy and for wider dissemination. The video has created a very high level of sensitivity among all the levels of functionaries and was officially endorsed by senior policy makers as the right approach for initiating breastfeeding. This dossier provides the background and a scientific overview to the documentary.
Initiation of breastfeeding by the Breast Crawl is a critical component of the IYCF (Infant and Young Child Feeding) initiative for the state of Maharashtra, India. IYCF deals with nutrition of children from birth to 3 years of age, and also takes into consideration the nutrition of pregnant and lactating mothers. Two critical components of IYCF are breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Improved IYCF practices promote optimal growth and development, prevent malnutrition and improve child survival. With 40% of the children in the state undernourished, this initiative becomes extremely critical.
UNICEF has facilitated partnerships with all stakeholders including the State Government, State Nutrition Mission, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Public Health Department, BPNI (Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India), NGOs, Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and several academic institutions, for this major initiative. These partnerships are aimed at creating a revolution in the state promoting IYCF practices.
We are sure that this documentary and dossier will greatly help similar initiatives worldwide. It is our strong desire that this information helps every mother and baby to experience the miracle of Breast Crawl. If we all could achieve early initiation of breastfeeding, we will be able to prevent 22% of all deaths among babies below 1 month.
This can be achieved by training all health care providers to initiate breastfeeding, by Breast Crawl, to give infants the best start in life.
Improving maternal and child health is a global priority. An estimated 8.1 million children under the age of five die every year and an estimated 1 000 women – most of them in developing countries – die every day due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth.
Many of these deaths are due to conditions that could be prevented or treated with access to simple, affordable medicines. However, the availability of medicines at public-health facilities is often poor.
This list of Priority Medicines for Mothers and Children was developed by the World Health Organization, UNFPA and UNICEF to help countries and partners select and make available those medicines that will have the biggest impact on reducing maternal, newborn and child morbidity and mortality.
Child Development Center - NRC - Nutrition Rehabilitation Center, child tracking web based system
The State Government has decided to establish the Rajmata Jijau Mother-Child Health and Nutrition Mission at Aurangabad to tackle the grave issues of malnutrition and mortality among the children. The mission would, over a period of five years, aim at significantly reducing the incidence of severe malnutrition amongst children in 0 to 6 age group. The mission objectives stress on health and nutrition of pregnant and lactating mothers as well as special attention to children during the first year of the birth. The mission is headed by a senior officer of the rank of secretary to the State Government. The mission would undertake major publicity campaign in all towns and villages of Maharashtra to stress the importance of health and nutrition, with the ultimate aim of progressively taking over the responsibility for mother and child care.
Acceptable medical reasons for use of breast-milk substitutes
Authors: WHO Number of pages: 6 Publication date: 2009
Overview
Almost all mothers can breastfeed successfully -- initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of life, breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months and continuing breastfeeding (along with giving appropriate complementary foods) up to two years of age or beyond. Positive effects of breastfeeding on the health of infants and mothers are observed in all settings.
Nevertheless, a small number of health conditions of the infant or the mother may justify recommending that she does not breastfeed temporarily or permanently. Whenever stopping breastfeeding is considered, the benefits of breastfeeding should be weighed against the risks posed by the presence of the specific conditions listed.
This list of acceptable medical reasons for temporary or long-term use of breast-milk substitutes is made available as an independent tool for health professionals working with mothers and newborn infants, as part of the Baby-friendly Hospitals Initiative.
National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) is an Apex Technical Institute, funded by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, for promotion of health and family welfare programmes in the country through education, training, research, evaluation, consultancy and specialised services.
National Child Health Resource Centre (NCHRC) was established in 2008 at National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW) with the approval from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and with financial support from Norway India Partnership Initiative & United Nations Office for Project Services (NIPI - UNOPS).
The main objectives of the project are:
(i) To obtain an overview of patterns of cancer in different parts of the country;
(ii) To calculate estimates of cancer incidence wherever feasible.
The overall aim of the study is to get to know the similarities and differences in patterns of cancer across the country in a relatively cost-effective way using recent advances in computer and information technology transmission. Knowing patterns of cancer across the country would provide important leads in undertaking aetiological research, in targeting cancer control measures and in examining clinical outcomes.
The Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project maintains a collection of useful resources on maternal nutrition, infant and young child feeding, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), and more. Our collection offers a variety of high-quality training materials, publications, web links, and other helpful resources.
Patient education is an integral part of health care delivery across medical centers in developed countries thus encouraging active patient participation and ensuring far better compliance and patient satisfaction.
What started as a resource center eleven years back, with a modest collection of material on patient education has grown into India's only largest patient education center housing more than 11,000 authentic books on possibly every aspect of health and diseases, along with pamphlets, health care magazines, and an exhaustive audiovisual section too.
HELP was also documented to be the world's largest Free library on consumer health information in the Limca book of records. State of the art infertility specialists to the world, Founders and visionaries for HELP, our Medical Directors have paved the path for the new "patient-centric health care "revolution in India.
WHO/UNICEF
Joint Statement on home-based care of newborns
Every year, about 3.7 million babies die in the first four weeks of life (2004 estimates). Most of these newborns are born in developing countries and most die at home. Up to two-thirds of these deaths can be prevented if mothers and newborns receive known, effective interventions. A strategy that promotes universal access to antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and early postnatal care will contribute to sustained reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality.
While both mothers and newborns need care during the period after birth, this Statement focuses on the care of the newborn child, and the evidence for the same. Studies have shown that home-based newborn care interventions can prevent 30–60% of newborn deaths in high mortality settings under controlled conditions. Therefore, WHO and UNICEF now recommend home visits in the baby’s first week of life to improve newborn survival.
This Joint Statement includes information on how to care for the newborn child at home, specific recommendations for countries, and next steps.
The Statement recommends that home visits occur on days one and three of a newborn's life, and if possible, a third visit should take place before the end of the first week of life (day seven). During home visits, skilled health workers should perform the following measures:
promote and support early (within the first hour after birth) and exclusive breastfeeding;
help to keep the newborn warm (promoting skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant);
promote hygienic umbilical cord and skin care;
assess the baby for signs of serious health problems, and advise families to seek prompt medical care if necessary (danger signs include feeding problems, or if the newborn has reduced activity, difficult breathing, a fever, fits or convulsions, or feels cold);
encourage birth registration and timely vaccination according to national schedules; and
identify and support newborns that need additional care (e.g. those that are low-birth-weight, sick or have an HIV-infected mother).
Healthcare Information For All by 2015
(HIFA2015) is a global campaign and 'think-tank' that brings together more than 2400 health professionals, librarians and publishers from 148 countries worldwide, committed to a common goal: By 2015, every person worldwide will have access to an informed health care provider.
HIFA2015 was launched at the 10th Congress of the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa, in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2006. The campaign highlights the link between the lack of relevant, reliable information for healthcare providers in developing countries, and the daily toll of tens of thousands of deaths. Members share expertise and experience in two dynamic email forums: HIFA2015 and CHILD2015. During 2009, the campaign includes a special focus on the information and learning needs of nurses and midwives in low-resource settings.
Click here to join HIFA2015 and CHILD2015, send your name, email, organisation and brief description of interests.
Knowledge for Health Project - Our mission here at K4Health is to increase the use and dissemination of evidence-based, accurate and up-to-date information to improve health service delivery and health outcomes worldwide. Using the K4Health platform, we are able to facilitate how this information is captured, synthesized, shared, adapted, and used. Through virtual collaboration, we are able to monitor and evaluate K4Health’s products and services to ensure that they meet the needs of key audiences, including policy makers, program managers, and health service providers working in international public health settings.
South Asia has a high level of deprivation, scoring 26.4; this is 3 times worse than East Asia. It is also making slow progress, improving child well-being by just 32% over 1990-2006 (compared to East Asia’s 45% improvement). This is because India (where almost three-quarters of the region’s children live) made the least progress of any country in South Asia; just a 27% improvement. In this region, child nutrition is a substantial obstacle; almost 1 in 2 children is underweight. Malnutrition levels are not being reduced rapidly enough; the region’s enrolment indicator improved by 59% while its nutrition indicator improved by only 14%. Higher levels of economic growth in the region are not widely translating into reduced child deprivation. 30 pages - pdf 228 kb ...more
AuthorMapper is a free online tool for visualizing scientific research that enables discovery based on author locations and geographic maps. With AuthorMapper you can:
• Explore patterns in scientific research
• Identify new and historic literature trends
• Discover wider relationships
• Locate other experts in your field
AuthorMapper currently searches nearly 2,000 journals in the Springer Journals collection across all subject areas. Users can search by keywords, browse subject collections, or search for open access articles using Advanced Search. Search results display with complementary graphs, timelines, and keyword tag clouds that help visually summarize the data and also be used to further refine a search.
Exemplar is a free linguistic tool designed to aid the publishing process for authors, editors and the scientific community at large. Exemplar allows researchers to quickly see how a particular word or phrase is used in English-language, peer reviewed, published literature.
Users include authors to whom English is a second language and want to check word usage accuracy, authors who want suggestions on how to express themselves or want to confirm how a particular word or phrase is used in published literature; educators who are looking for authentic phrases and sentences for teaching and testing; and editors and reviewers who want to confirm whether or not a particular turn of phrase is justified by usage.
Mother-Child Protection Card and Guide
Benefiting
Families / Program participants
Anganwadi workers of ICDS - Integrated Child Development Schemes
Nurse midwife
Supervisors of health and ICDS
This guide book is to be used as a reference book by these functionaries of health and ICDS to focus on under three. The components are
Safe Motherhood
Care of the New born
Child Growth and Development
Nutrition
Immunisation and
The Importance of the Mother Child Protection Card
Front Cover
pdf 176 kb
pages 1-14
pdf 1 mb
pages 15-30
pdf 2 mb
pages 31-43
pdf 1.3 mb
pages 44-56
pdf 1.7 mb
Back Cover
pdf 176 kb
Dr. R. K.
Anand's Guide to Child Care is for pregnant mothers and parents of infants, young children, and teenagers. A definitive guide to the parent on pregnancy and childrearing from infancy to the teenage years. Authored by one of India's foremost paediatricians and an internationally renowned authority on breastfeeding, the book combines a knowledge of traditional childrearing practices with the latest medical developments in child care.
Dr. Anand's Guide to Child Care answers questions such as:
Is there a right age to have a baby?
What can I do when my baby cries?
Can a working mother successfully breastfeed?
How helpful is a joint family in bringing up children?
How should we handle our fussy eater?
Is my child ready for toilet-training?
Are vaccines safe?
When is the right age for sex education?
How can I raise a happy child?
Are drugs overprescribed for childhood illnesses?
How should we handle our teenager?
What should I do in a medical emergency?
Mother-Child Nutrition Mission, Maharashtra - V Ramani Rajmata Jijau Mother-Child Health & Nutrition Mission, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India Presentation:
flash 778 kb |
powerpoint 2.2 mb
Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition and Out Patient Therapeutic Program Training Material
Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Training Videos Federal Ministry of Health and UNICEF, Ethiopia, 2009
Oromifa and Tigrinian versions presently under development
If you have any problems with watching the videos, please ensure you have the latest Adobe Flash Player.
Click here to download
1. Introduction - What is Severe Acute Malnutrition? English
> high definition YouTube | Amharic
> high definition YouTube
Exercise 1 - Assessing for Presence of Severe Acute Malnutrition English
> high definition YouTube | Amharic
> high definition YouTube
Exercise 2 - Assessing, Classifying and Taking Action English
> high definition YouTube | Amharic
> high definition YouTube
Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition at Health Post level, Quick Reference for Health Extension Workers Federal Ministry of Health and UNICEF, Ethiopia, 2009 English26 pages 5 mb Afar26 pages 4.2 mb Amharic27 pages 5.3 mb Oromifa26 pages 4.4 mb Somali26 pages 4.8 mb Tigrigna27 pages 5.2 mb
The WHO web site presents complete information on the WHO Child Growth Standards.
These standards were developed using data collected in the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study. The site presents documentation on how the physical growth curves and motor milestone windows of achievement were developed as well as application tools to support implementation of the standards.
Documentation
The following documents describe the sample and methods used to construct the standards and present the final charts.
WHO Child Growth Standards - Methods and development
Length/height-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length, weight-for-height and body mass index-for-age pdf 26.6 mb - 336 pages
In 1993 the World Health Organization (WHO) undertook a comprehensive review of the uses and interpretation of anthropometric references. The review concluded that the NCHS/WHO growth reference, which had been recommended for international use since the late 1970s, did not adequately represent early childhood growth and that new growth curves were necessary. The World Health Assembly endorsed this recommendation in 1994. In response WHO undertook the Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) between 1997 and 2003 to generate new curves for assessing the growth and development of children the world over.
The MGRS combined a longitudinal follow-up from birth to 24 months and a cross-sectional survey of children aged 18 to 71 months. Primary growth data and related information were gathered from 8440 healthy breastfed infants and young children from widely diverse ethnic backgrounds and cultural settings (Brazil, Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and USA). The MGRS is unique in that it was purposely designed to produce a standard by selecting healthy children living under conditions likely to favour the achievement of their full genetic growth potential. Furthermore, the mothers of the children selected for the construction of the standards engaged in fundamental health-promoting practices, namely breastfeeding and not smoking.
The Training Course on Child Growth Assessment is a tool for the application of the WHO Child Growth Standards. It is intended primarily for health care providers who measure and assess the growth of children or who supervise these activities. The course is designed for use over 3 1/2 days. It teaches how to measure weight, length and height, how to interpret growth indicators, investigate causes of growth problems and counsel caregivers.
The course materials can be downloaded from the following links:
The WHO child age calculator (a rotating disk mounted on a calendar in PVC material) for calculating child age is part of the course materials that will be made available in WHO Regional Offices when the trainers of trainers workshops are conducted in the respective Regions.
Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding WHO - UNICEF pdf 440 kb - 37 pages
WHO and UNICEF jointly developed the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding to revitalize world attention to the impact that feeding practices have on the nutritional status, growth and development, health, and thus the very survival of infants and young children.
The Global Strategy is based on the evidence of nutrition’s significance in the early months and years of life, and of the crucial role that appropriate feeding practices play in achieving optimal health outcomes. Lack of breastfeeding – and especially lack of exclusive breastfeeding during the first half-year of life – are important risk factors for infant and childhood morbidity and mortality that are only compounded by inappropriate complementary feeding. The life-long impact includes poor school performance, reduced productivity, and impaired intellectual and social development.
Community-based management of severe acute malnutrition
A Joint Statement by the World Health Organization, the World Food
Programme, the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition
and the United Nations Children’s Fund
Severe acute malnutrition remains a major killer of children under
five years of age. Until recently, treatment has been restricted to
facility-based approaches, greatly limiting its coverage and impact.
New evidence suggests, however, that large numbers of children with
severe acute malnutrition can be treated in their communities without
being admitted to a health facility or a therapeutic feeding centre.
The community-based approach involves timely detection of severe acute
malnutrition in the community and provision of treatment for those
without medical complications with ready-to-use therapeutic foods or
other nutrient-dense foods at home. If properly combined with a
facility-based approach for those malnourished children with medical
complications and implemented on a large scale, community-based
management of severe acute malnutrition could prevent the deaths of
hundreds of thousands of children.
Management of Severe Malnutrition: A Manual for Physicians and Other Senior Health Workers pdf 1.2 mb - 68 pages
Malnutrition remains one of the most common causes of morbidity and
mortality among children throughout the world. Approximately 9% of
children below 5 years of age suffer from wasting (weight-for-height
below 22 standard deviations (,22 SD) of the National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS)/WHO reference values) and are at risk of death or
severe impairment of growth and psychological development.
This manual is based on The treatment and management of severe
protein–energy malnutrition, which was published by WHO in 1981. Since
then, many advances have been made in the treatment of severe
malnutrition. An improved oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution has been
developed for the treatment of dehydration. Advances in knowledge of the
physiological roles of micronutrients have led to improved dietary
management during the initial phase of treatment. It has been shown that
physical and psychological stimulation, as well as care and affection,
are necessary during the rehabilitation phase in order to prevent
retardation of growth and psychological development.
This manual provides guidelines for the treatment of severely
malnourished children (below 5 years of age) in hospitals and health
centres. The treatment of severely malnourished adolescents and adults is
also briefly considered. The manual is intended for health personnel
working at central and district level, including physicians, nurses,
midwives and auxiliaries.
Repositioning Nutrition as Central to Development
A Strategy for Large-Scale Action - 2006 pdf 1.6 mb - 272 pages - original at
World Bank site
Persistent malnutrition contributes not only to widespread failure to
meet the first Millennium Development Goal—to halve poverty and
hunger—but also to meet other goals related to maternal and child health,
HIV/AIDS, education, and gender equity. Underweight prevalence among
children is the key indicator for measuring progress on nonincome
poverty, and malnutrition remains the world’s most serious health
problem—as well as the single largest contributor to child mortality.
Nearly one-third of children in the developing world are underweight or
stunted, and more than 30 percent of the developing world’s population
suffers from micronutrient deficiencies. Moreover, new malnutrition
problems are emerging: the epidemic of obesity and diet-related
noncommunicable diseases is spreading to the developing world, and
malnutrition is linked to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Repositioning Nutrition as Central to Development: A Strategy for
Large-Scale Action makes the case that development partners and
developing countries must increase investment in nutrition programs. This
case is based on evidence that the scale of the problem is very large and
that nutrition interventions are essential for speeding poverty
reduction, have high benefit-cost ratios, and can improve nutrition much
faster than reliance on economic growth alone. Moreover, improved
nutrition can drive economic growth. The report proposes to the
international development community and national governments a global
strategy for accelerated action in nutrition.
Counting on Communication: The Uganda Nutrition and
Early Childhood Development Project - 2005 - World Bank Working Paper No. 59 pdf
3.2 mb - 56 pages - original at
World Bank site
Counting on Communication is part of the World Bank Working Paper series.
These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank’s
ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. This publication is
the first in a series of Working Papers sponsored by the Development
Communication Division (DevComm) of the World Bank’s External Affairs
Vice-Presidency. This series is designed to share innovations and lessons
learned in the application of strategic communication in development
projects. Together with other donors, NGOs, and private sector partners,
DevComm seeks to mainstream the discipline of development communication
in development practice.
The Uganda Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project was one of
DevComm’s first projects to demonstrate the valueadded of strategic
communication. The strategic communication component developed for this
project included the use of formative research about values and attitudes
with respect to child rearing, in order to develop and test effective
messages. The communication strategy was developed in a highly
participatory manner and included nurturing a team of champions for the
project among policymakers, district officials, community leaders, and
grassroots organizations to advocate for the project. It also included
two-way communication activities developed to address the practices and
behaviors that would need to be changed in order for the project to be
successful, rather than merely disseminating messages based on
assumptions of project benefits.
World Bank Working Papers are available individually or by subscription, both in print and online.
City Initiative for Newborn Health - Mumbai -
Overview and Protocol
A Collaboration Between SNEHA, MCGM, IPU AND ICICI Bank pdf
732 kb - 34 pages
Goal
To improve the health and survival of mothers and newborn infants in
underprivileged communities in Mumbai.
Purpose
To work with community members in urban slums to achieve improvements in
maternal and newborn care practices and care seeking.
To work with municipal health service providers to strengthen
decentralised primary care:
To achieve provision of high quality antenatal and postnatal care
at health posts.
To encourage continuous quality improvement in maternal and
neonatal services at maternity homes and hospitals and along the
referral chain.
To test replicable and scaleable models of interventions to improve
maternal and newborn health.
Methods
The initiative’s primary strategies are to encourage change through
participation, self-sustaining group activities, ownership, and
appreciative inquiry. The first phase of the initiative will run for 4
years. For the purposes of management and evaluation the package will be
organised into three components. Within each component, strategies will
be devised by groups convened to plan interventions to improve maternal
and neonatal health. Intervention will take place at a number of levels,
from community to tertiary.
Ranchi Low Birth Weight Project - Study Protocol
Reducing Incidence of Low Birth Weight using a Community based Life Cycle
Strategy
Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra, Child In Need Institute, Social Initiatives
Group, ICICI Bank pdf
805 kb - 16 pages
The Ranchi Low Birth Weight Project is a quasi-experimental action
research study to evaluate the effectiveness of life-cycle based
community level behavioural interventions in reducing the incidence of
low birth weight and improving maternal and child health in Ranchi
district of Jharkhand state in India.
Aims
Low birth weight (LBW) and childhood malnutrition continue to be major
public health problems in India. It is well recognised that maternal and
child health services as well as a range of behavioural factors need to
work synergistically to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition
and improve these key indicators which determine long term prosperity and
productivity of a nation. Both on the partners' and other experiences in
India and elsewhere, interventions in the Ranchi LBW project aim to
improve maternal and infant health outcomes by addressing a range of
medico-social and behavioural determinants of low birth weight. The study
envisages implementing and evaluating the additive effects of community
level behavioural interventions in bringing about positive improvements
in maternal and infant health outcomes in an area where mandated public
health and related services are ensured.
Wiesmann, Doris. 2006. 2006 Global
Hunger Index: A Basis for Cross-Country Comparisons. Washington,
DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. - October 13, 2006
The International Food Policy
Research Institute has released its new Global Hunger Index, an
innovative and enhanced approach for measuring hunger in developing and
transitional countries. The index reveals hunger hotspots, shows which
countries and regions have improved over time, and demonstrates the links
between hunger and violent conflict.
ending child hunger and undernutrition initiative
- Copenhagen, 19 June 2006
overview of issues and moving forward
World Health Organization Presentation:
flash 785 kb |
powerpoint 2.6 mb
Ending Child Hunger in India
Partnering with Local Institutions for National Advocacy
World Food Programme
World Health Organization Presentation:
flash 70 kb |
powerpoint 179 kb
Providing an 'essential package' for child survival:
WFP and UNICEF in Ethiopia
Government of Ethiopia - World Food Programme - UNICEF
World Health Organization Presentation:
flash
100 kb |
powerpoint 666 kb
End Child Hunger and Undernutrition Initiative in
Latin America and the Caribbean
United in the Battle to End Child Hunger - WFP Global Meeting Copenhagen
- June 2006
World Food Programme - UNICEF
World Health Organization Presentation:
flash 187 kb |
powerpoint 424 kb
India's Undernourished Children
A Call for Reform and Action
Michele Gragnolati; Caryn Bredenkamp; Meera Shekar; Monica Das Gupta; Yi-Kyoung Lee Publisher: The World Bank Keywords: Nutrition; Anganwadi; Health; India; Food; ICDS; Child; South Asia; Malnutrition
The prevalence of child undernutrition in India is among the highest in the world, nearly double that of Sub-Saharan Africa, with dire consequences for morbidity, mortality, productivity and economic growth. Drawing on qualitative studies and quantitative evidence from large household surveys, this book explores the dimensions of child undernutrition in India and examines the effectiveness of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program, India's main early child development intervention, in addressing it. Although levels of undernutrition in India declined modestly during the 1990s, the reductions lagged behind those achieved by other countries with similar economic growth. Nutritional inequalities across different states and socioeconomic and demographic groups remain large. Although the ICDS program appears to be well-designed and well-placed to address the multi-dimensional causes of malnutrition in India, several problems exist that prevent it from reaching its potential. The book concludes with a discussion of a number of concrete actions that can be taken to bridge the gap between the policy intentions of ICDS and its actual implementation.
e-TALC is a project of Teaching-aids At Low Cost (TALC), which provides an up-to-date, authoritative source of electronic health
information for health workers in developing countries who have access to computers but limited access to the internet. more info
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism
It's more than a book. It's a way of life. Alcoholics Anonymous-the Big Book-has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. First published in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. With publication of the second edition in 1955, the third edition in 1976, and now the fourth edition in 2001, the essential recovery text has remained unchanged while personal stories have been added to reflect the growing and diverse fellowship. The long-awaited fourth edition features 24 new personal stories of recovery. Key features and benefits �the most widely used resource for millions of individuals in recovery �contains full, original text describing AA program �updated with 24 new personal stories
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an informal meeting society for recovering alcoholics whose primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.AA suggests that alcoholics follow its program and abstain from alcohol in order to recover from alcoholism, and share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem.AA was the first twelve-step program and has been the model for similar recovery groups like Narcotics Anonymous. Al-Anon/Alateen are programs designed to provide support for relatives and friends of alcoholics. The organization was named after its primary guidebook Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as The Big Book. Although AA is not for everyone, there is growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of AA as a treatment for alcoholism.
575 pages - Alcoholics Anonymous World Services; 4 Revised edition (February 10, 2002) - English
ISBN-10: 1893007162, ISBN-13: 978-1893007161
Knowledge and Use of Oral Rehydration Therapy for Childhood Diarrhoea in India: Effects of Exposure to Mass Media
Results from these two studies indicate that, despite a
vigorous Oral Rehydration Therapy Programme in India for more than a decade,
knowledge and use of ORT to treat childhood diarrhoea remain quite limited. Very
small percentages of children who fall sick with diarrhoea are treated with oral
rehydration salt (ORS) packets, recommended home solution (RHS), or increased
fluids, despite the fact that 61 percent of these children receive treatment
from a health facility or provider. In the NFHS, among children born 1-47 months
before the survey who had diarrhoea in the last two weeks, 18 percent were given
ORS and 19 percent were given RHS. Considered together, only 31 percent were
given ORS or RHS.
Among those who receive treatment from a health facility or
provider, a very large proportion (94 percent) are treated with antibiotics or
other antidiarrhoeal drugs, contrary to WHO recommendations that drugs not be
used to treat diarrhoea in young children. The use of drugs is common among both
public- and private-sector providers but is more common in the private sector.
The analysis indicates that the electronic mass media are
effective in increasing awareness and use of ORT. Women regularly exposed to the
media are much more likely than unexposed women to know about ORS packets and to
use ORS or RHS. This result is valid even after controlling for the effects of a
number of potentially confounding variables by holding them constant. Results
also indicate some discrimination against girls in the use of ORS.
These findings suggest that both mothers and health-care
providers are not well informed about the proper treatment of childhood
diarrhoea. There is clearly a need to strengthen education programmes for
mothers and to provide supplemental training to health-care providers,
emphasizing the importance of increased fluid intake and discouraging the use of
unnecessary and often harmful drugs. The Oral Rehydration Therapy Programme also
needs to address the problem of gender discrimination in the treatment of
diarrhoea. In all these efforts, the mass media can help.
Audience:
K.V. Rao, Vinod K. Mishra, and Robert D. Hetherford
National Family Health Survey Subject Reports
Number 10 - November 1998
Gender Differences in Treatment-seeking
Behaviour during Common Childhood Illnesses in
India: Does Maternal Education Matter?
Gender inequalities, in one form or the other, with
considerable contextual differences, are
ubiquitous and all-pervasive in South Asia. In health, these are manifested
in differences in mortality (observed by overall
sex-ratio) in almost every country in this region.
India is no exception in this regard. Discrimination and gender gaps have
been observed even in early years of life. Beside
other factors, discriminatory treatment-seeking practices among children during the post-neonatal and
later childhood period probably contribute to
this.
There are numerous studies which have established the
positive effect of maternal education on child health and survival.
But there are contradictory evidences that whether
maternal education reduces gender bias in
treatment-seeking behaviour or not and the debate over it remains
inconclusive.
By using National Family and Health Survey
(NFHS-2), 1998-99, the present study observed that
the gender bias in treatment seeking behaviour does exist among illiterate
and middle school educated women when child is
affected by acute respiratory infections and
reduces considerably among higher educated mother.
In case of diarrhoea no evidence of gender
differences in treatment seeking behaviour has been found statistically irrespective of the level of maternal education, even after controlling all other spatial, demographic and socioeconomic factors.
Audience:
Saswata Ghosh
Research Scholar, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi India.
18th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies
University of Lund, Sweden
6-9 July, 2004
National Family Health Survey Subject Reports
Number 10 - November 1998
Diarrhea and Hydration Therapy
Training Presentation - Amit Chandra, MD - March 2006 - 25 slides
Niramaya Health Foundation Presentation:
flash
433 kb.
Health and Healthcare in Maharashtra
A Status Report - 2005
Maharashtra has been in the forefront of healthcare development in the
country. It was among the first states to decentralize primary healthcare
administration through Zilla Parishads as early as1961. Further, under the
Minimum Needs Program Maharashtra was again one of the first states to
achieve the norms mandated for primary health centres, subcentres and
Rural Hospitals. The state also has the largest private health sector in
India whose reach is quite extensive.
While Maharashtra is today also the most affluent state in the country
with the highest per capita income, and contributes over 15% of the
country’s national income and 40% of the tax revenues, it continues to
have high levels of poverty and inequalities which get reflected in health
outcomes which are not the best in the country. Thus Maharashtra has to
still struggle with malnutrition deaths, child mortality and maternal
mortality levels not commensurate with its economic position in the
country, declining child sex-ratios, low and declining levels of public
health spending and investments, high levels of vacant positions of
doctors at PHCs and CHCs, and low levels of access to various health
services like antenatal care, complete child immunization, institutional
deliveries etc.
Directorate of Health Services Maharashtra State
Department of Paediatrics, Cama & Albless Hospital, Mumbai
Maharashtra State Health Education Bureau, Aundh, Pune
1997-1998
Child Mortality Determinants in three Backward Districts of Maharashtra
Nandurbar, Jalna and Yavatmal
2003-2004
By Shyam Ashtekar, Dhruv Mankad, Kranti Raimane
BharatVaidyak Sanstha, NASIK
Courtesy of Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India
January 2004
An array of factors-some antecedents and some determinants -- interplay to
cause child deaths directly or indirectly. We can understand them as
sectors--social sector, environment, health system etc. Each sector is
amenable to different interventions and our main effort here is to see
what can be done through the health system to improve child survival. This
does not mean that other sectors are less important, in fact they can be
more important and economical for interventions, but there are separate
reports on these sectors. It is needless to stress that the sectors
overlap and intermingle and the accompanying figure only serves to bring
clarity in approach.
Our team of 3 researchers studied Child mortality and its determinants in
three low HDI districts of Maharashtra--Nandurbar, Yavatmal, and Jalna.
The study used secondary data, mainly MIS report and qualitative methods
for direct inquiry. The study was undertaken in Sept 2003. Interviews with
district health staff, PHC MOs, LHVs, ANM, TBAs, AWWs, PMPs, families,
NGOs and RH doctors were conducted with help of semi-structured
questionnaires.
If India has to become a developed nation, India's villages must be developed. To share the basic statistics of every village of India,
this portal has 638387 pages and one for each tehsil and district.
The mandate of Developed Nation Network is to work on major campaigns and sensitise Indians and people around the world on the social
and developmental canvas of India through information dissemination and creative campaign.
Diarrhoeal Diseases Control
Examples of Health Education Materials
Audience:
WHO
1982
Multi-language examples from around the world
Posters 39 pages - pdf 12 mb
Flash cards 4 pages -
pdf
1.3mb
Leaflets 11 pages -
pdf
4 mb
Slide sets 4 pages -
pdf
696 kb
Newsletters and comics 2 pages - pdf
899 kb
Training of Doctors on Nutritional Care
During Diarrhoea
Audience:
National Diarrhoeal Diseases Control & O.R.T.
Programmes
Government of India, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India
prepared by the
National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (ICMR) Calcutta,
India
Preventing and
Controlling Iron Deficiency Anaemia Through Primary Health Care
Audience: A Guide for Health Administrators and
Programme Managers
E. M. DeMaeyer Formerly Medical Officer, Nutrition, World Health Organization,
Geneva, Switzerland
with the collaboration of
P. Dallman, J. M. Gurney, L. Hallberg, S. K. Sood & S. G. Srikantia
1989
Audience:
All NGOs, Institutes and Persons working in the Self Help Group Movement.
Abstract:
This book is based on the experiences and achievements of the Maharashtra
Rural Credit Programme. Sahyogini (Animator) is the back bone of this
programme working in the villages with the Self Help Group to Guide & Help
them by providing technical support. This book is focused on the working
procedure of the Self Help Group Dynamics, Formation, Structure, working
procedure etc. This guide answers frequently asked questions.
Mahilanche Hakk Anni Adhikar
Women's Rights & Laws
Audience:
All NGOs, Institutes and Persons working in the women empowerment and
Development.
Abstract:
This book is published by Women’s Development Cooperation (Mavim), a
Government of Maharashtra undertaking. This book tries to focus on the
Government Resolutions issued by the Government of Maharashtra and on the
various aspects of laws related to women and the rights provided to her.
This book highlights objectives of the Government resolution and about the
Acts. Basic things all should know about legal and judicial system. Its
Objective, Protection for women under the Acts, how the Act can be a useful
for a women etc are presented in the books.
This book is the guideline for the field worker circulated along with the
video film.
Mahila Anni Balvikasanchya Yojana
Women and Child Development Schemes (Guidelines)
Audience:
NGOs, Officers, Staff and elected members of different government and
Non-government Organisation and the direct benefices of the schemes.
Abstract:
This guide focuses on the development schemes of state government related to
Women and Child development. This book gives brief information about the
schemes as well as the contact numbers of the responsible officers. This
facilitates the beneficiary to approach the right person in right
department.
Pages 1-50 -
pdf 4.5 mb
Pages 51-100 - pdf 4.5 mb Pages 101-150 -
pdf 2.0 mb Pages 151-175 -
pdf 1.7 mb
This commentary challenges the wisdom and validity of the current practice of providing to children between 6 months and 5 years, regular supplements of massive medicinal doses of vitamin A. Every year, roughly half a billion capsules are made to be distributed and to be given to around 200 million children in over 100 ‘targeted’ countries (1,2). One standard method of dosing of younger children is shown in the picture above, which appears on the cover of a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) working paper issued in 2005 (1). In most cases, this medicinal dosing is now being done in countries and areas where the vitamin A deficiency diseases xerophthalmia and blinding keratomalacia are now rare, and any clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency are now uncommon.
pdf442 kb
Vitamin A deficiency can cause blindness, impair health, and be an underlying cause of death, in young children. Therefore, responsible debate about its public health importance, and the value of prevention, should be based on reliable evidence of the extent and severity of deficiency, and on the impact of interventions. pdf 315 kb
20 Million US Dollars on Vitamin A Procurement : Out of 32 Million US Dollars of Annual Budget 2009-2010 The Indian scientists have raised their concern on over emphasis of Vitamin A supplementation to children. The recent research communications from Prof. Michael Latham and Prof. C. Gopalan have raised this issue with scientific evidence. These excerpts from the Annual Report of Micronutrients Initiatives India an International Non Government Organization, according to which out of 32 Million US Dollar available in the Annual Budget 2009-2010, more than 20 Million US Dollars were spent on Vitamin A Procurement and Interventions. A meager sum of 2.5 Million US Dollars were spent on Iron interventions.
Anaemia is most common nutritional deficiency disorders in the country. Almost vulnerable age groups have anaemia in the range of 60-90%. The health consequences of anaemia are highly detrimental to Maternal and Child Health. The prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency is less than one percent and is limited to selected geographical pockets in the country. The Keratomalacia and Nutritional Blindness have disappeared.
It is unfortunate but true that the agencies are trying to implement interventions for prevention and control of micronutrients disorders according to their mandate rather than the magnitude and health consequences.
WHO, UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies call for support for appropriate infant and young child feeding in the current Asian emergency, and caution about unnecessary use of milk products
[HTML, 12 KB], [PDF, 256 KB]
Contaminated food: A major cause of diarrhoea and associated malnutrition among infants and young children
Breastfeeding: The technical basis and recommendations for action WHO/NUT/MCH/93.1
Recommended length of exclusive breastfeeding, age of introduction of complementary food and the weaning dilemma WHO/CDD/EPD/92.5
Savage King, F. Helping Mothers to Breastfeed 1992
Midwifery training modules
The State of World's Midwifery 2011: Delivering Health, Saving Lives
Increasing women's access to quality midwifery has become a focus of global efforts to realize the right of every woman to the best possible health care during pregnancy and childbirth. A first step is assessing the situation.
The State of World's Midwifery 2011: Delivering Health, Saving Lives, supported by 30 partners, provides the first comprehensive analysis of midwifery services and issues in countries where the needs are greatest.
A large-scale National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in most of larger states and National Capital Territory of Delhi in 1992-1993. The repeated survey NFHS-2, 1998-1999. Both have focus on fertility and child mortality, family planning and health. NFHS 2 was funded by USAID through ORC Macro and UNICEF.
Health and Healing is for first contact or primary health care workers. It is about both health and healing at the primary level. It offers a broad and comprehensive range of health topics from personal health to national health programmes, from system-wise illnesses to health problems of at-risk groups like women, children and old persons. By Dr. Shyam Ashtekar
Off-site links
i-Quench.org/eDevelopment is a recent web portal dedicated to exploring new and emerging ICTs for development in India in the areas of health, education, poverty alleviation, agriculture, micro-finance, e-governance, trade of goods and services, market-based information dissemination - all leading to ICTs-supported holistic community development.
Nutrition research in India has previously focused on the serious problem of undernutrition related to nutrient deficit and high rates of infection. Recent data from the National Family Health Survey 1998/99 (NFHS 2), however, identified a significant proportion of Indian women as overweight, coexisting with high rates of malnutrition. This paper examines the emerging nutrition transition for women living in rural and urban communities of Andhra Pradesh, India. NFHS 2 provides nationally representative data on women’s weight and height. In this paper, we examine representative data from the state of Andhra Pradesh (n = 4032 women). Logistic regression analyses are applied to the data to identify socioeconomic, regional and demographic determinants of overweight and thinness. The major nutrition problem facing women continues to be undernutrition, with 37% having a low body mass index [(BMI) < 18.5 kg/m2]; 8% of these women are severely malnourished (BMI < 16 kg/m2). However, 12% of the women can be classified as overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2) and 2% are obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2). Furthermore, in the large cities of the state in which 4% of the sample live, 37% of women are overweight or obese, whereas in the rural areas in which 74% reside, 43% have a low BMI. Women from lower socioeconomic groups are also significantly more likely to have a low BMI. Findings from the logistic regression models reveal socioeconomic status to be a more important predictor of both over- and underweight than location of residence.
The links listed here are links to websites containing information on women's health issues which we think our visitors may find of interest. Inclusion on this page does not constitute an endorsement of the advice or services provided through these sites.
Hesperian Health Guides are easy to use, medically accurate, and richly illustrated. We publish 20 titles, spanning women’s health, children, disabilities, dentistry, health education, HIV, and environmental health, and distribute many others. Buy, download, or read from this page, or view resources by language to explore materials in Spanish and over 80 other languages.
Where There Is No Doctor
The most widely-used health care manual for health workers, educators, and others involved in primary health care delivery
and health promotion programs around the world. Our current edition contains updated information on malaria, HIV, and more.
An essential resource for any woman or health worker who wants to improve her health and the health of her community, and for anyone to learn about problems that affect women differently from men. Topics include reproductive health, concerns of girls and older women, violence, mental health, and more.
This guide contains information, activities, stories, and instructions for simple technologies that help health promoters, environmental activists, and community leaders take charge of their environmental health.
Advance Chapters from the NEW Where There Is No Doctor
Topics include care for newborns, breastfeeding, and nutrition. These are the first chapters completed of an all new, 21st-century edition of our hallmark publication.
A vital resource for practicing midwives and midwifery training programs around the world, this book covers the essentials of care before, during, and after birth. It has been updated to reflect new WHO/UNICEF guidelines and standards for mothers and newborns.
This basic dental manual uses straightforward language and step-by-step instructions to discuss preventive care of teeth and gums, diagnosing and treating common dental problems, and includes a special chapter on oral health and HIV.
An indispensable resource for health educators, this book shows – with hundreds of methods, aids and learning strategies – how to make health education engaging and effective, and how to encourage community involvement through participatory education.
This manual contains a wealth of clear and detailed information along with easy-to-implement strategies for all who are concerned about the well being of children with disabilities, especially those living in communities with limited resources.
Developed with the participation of women with disabilities in 42 countries, this guide helps women to overcome the barriers of social stigma and inadequate care to improve their general health, self-esteem, and independence as active members of their communities.
This groundbreaking book, packed with activities on how to foster language learning through both sign and oral approaches, supports parents and other caregivers in building the communication skills of babies and young children.
The simple and engaging activities in this book can help parents, caregivers, teachers, health workers, rehabilitation workers, and others help a child with vision problems develop all of his or her capabilities.
A thorough, easy-to-understand guide for health workers confronting the HIV pandemic in their communities, it covers topics from biology of the virus to epidemiology to the mechanics of designing prevention programs, using language that is accessible to those with little medical training.
This chapter from A Community Guide to Environmental Health, available as a 36-page booklet, offers information and activities to help reduce harm caused by pesticides, to treat people in pesticide emergencies, and to understand legal and political issues related to pesticide use.
This chapter from A Community Guide to Environmental Health, available as a 48-page booklet, offers basic information on toilet building as well as learning activities to help communities understand and prevent sanitation-related health problems.
This chapter from A Community Guide to Environmental Health, available
as a 48-page booklet, helps communities improve drinking water sources, treat water to make it safe for drinking, and organize water projects to protect access to clean water.
Advance Chapters from A Workers Guide to Health and Safety
Topics include work hazards and solutions in garment industries, social hazards and solutions in garment, electronics, and shoe industries, and activities for organizing worker-led campaigns. These chapters will be part of the upcoming publication, due to be released in 2012.
Flea bites on humans: A blog about flea bites symptoms, pictures, treatment and how to prevent flea bites on humans
To view and print the pdf files that are available for download from our site, you can use the Free Adobe Reader. Please visit adobe.com for free downloading of the Adobe Reader.
153 pages - 805 kb
Community Health Workers (CHW) Central
Health Workers Count: The World Needs More Health Workers, Better Supported
Global
strategy for women's and children's health
Facts for Life
Why Is Breastfeeding So Important?
Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All
Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University
EBW Healthcare publishes an innovative series of distance-learning books for healthcare professionals, developed by the Perinatal Education Trust, Eduhealthcare, the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, with contributions from numerous experts.
Healthcare Information For All by 2015
(HIFA2015) is a global campaign and 'think-tank' that brings together more than 2400 health professionals, librarians and publishers from 148 countries worldwide, committed to a common goal: By 2015, every person worldwide will have access to an informed health care provider.
Mother-Child Protection Card and Guide
Global TB Control Report 2011
The Global Plan to Stop TB 2011-2015
Treatment of TB: guidelines
Multidrug and extensively drug- resistant TB
The Stop TB Strategy
Tools that enable health workers to carefully review each death that occurs in their institution with the goal of breaking the 'chain to death':
Taking care of a baby at home after birth: What families need to do
In every country and community worldwide, pregnancy and childbirth are momentous events in the lives of women and families and represent a time of intense vulnerability. Imagine the personal treatment you would expect from a maternity care provider entrusted to help you or a woman you love give birth. Naturally, we envision a relationship characterized by caring, empathy, support, trust, confidence, and empowerment, as well as gentle, respectful, and effective communication to enable informed decision making.
