-
The Blind Spot in Africa’s COVID-19 Response: Western Public Health Tactics Won’t Work – This Local Solution Might
The COVID-19 pandemic is primed to spread in Africa, and with just one doctor per 5,000 people, a major outbreak would overwhelm the continent’s health care systems. But as Anatole Manzi at Partners In Health points out, tactics like social distancing and hand-washing are not feasible in crowded slums and areas without clean water. He proposes a home-grown solution: training young people as community health workers.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care
-
Fighting a Pandemic in the Dark: How SolarAid is Helping Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa Respond to COVID-19
As COVID-19 starts to spread through sub-Saharan Africa, John Keane and Sofia Ollvid at SolarAid point out that an estimated 600 million people on the continent live without access to electricity at home, and a staggering 75% of health facilities have unreliable power. They explore what solar providers are doing to help African countries respond to the pandemic.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy, Health Care
-
Chickens Are an Overlooked Risk to Child Health: Here’s Why We Have to Get Poultry Promotion Right
Bill Gates once wrote, “It’s pretty clear to me that just about anyone who’s living in extreme poverty is better off if they have chickens.” But despite the critical nutrition and income poultry can provide, Chris Prottas at the Water Trust raises a key concern: Chickens pose a significant threat to children’s health. He explores why the development community needs a better approach to poultry promotion.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care, WASH
-
Big Data in a Time of Crisis: Maximizing its Value – And Avoiding its Risks – In the Fight Against COVID-19
About 2 million people around the world have been infected by the coronavirus, and the numbers continue to grow. Yet this data reveals only a fraction of the scale of the crisis. As Jessica Espey at SDSN TReNDS points out, the pandemic has exposed the acute weakness of the world’s data systems. But she cautions that, in modernizing these systems, we must not sacrifice our long-term data rights for short-term benefits.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care, Technology
-
Lights, Camera – Health Education: How Animated Videos are Advancing Maternal Health in India and Beyond
In India, there is just one government doctor for every 10,189 people – a situation that often results in poor access to pregnancy-related health care. Without reliable medical advice, many women fall prey to myths and misconceptions about pregnancy and newborn care. MedHealth TV is addressing this issue with animated educational videos in local languages. Its founder, Padma Rammoorthy, discusses the approach and its impact.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care
-
Preventing Coronavirus in an Age of Distrust: The Importance of Cross-Sector Collaboration
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, public health institutions are playing an essential role in containing the virus. Unfortunately, as Steve Schmida at Resonance points out, trust in large institutions is at an all-time low in many countries – and this is a major impediment to preventing the spread of the virus. He explores how governments can partner with both private enterprises and non-profits to boost public trust and promote efforts to contain coronavirus.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Health Care
-
Coronavirus is Shining a Light on America’s Lack of Paid Sick Leave: Here’s How Savings Can Help
As the coronavirus pandemic unfolds, public health authorities are encouraging people to stay home if they're sick. But for many U.S. workers – especially those with lower-incomes and gig economy jobs – taking a sick day is unpaid, so staying home has serious financial implications. Timothy Flacke at Commonwealth highlights this challenge, and discusses how innovative savings solutions can help.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Health Care
-
Bringing the Private Sector to Public Health: How Business Innovation Can Improve Health Care Access
Engaging the private sector is an increasingly critical theme in global health, because there is no clear way to achieve universal health coverage without it. Perhaps that's why four of the five winners of the first-ever USAID Inclusive Health Access Prize are for-profit companies. Marian W. Wentworth, President and CEO of Management Sciences for Health, discusses the prize, and the movement toward private solutions to provide scalable innovation in global health.
- Categories
- Health Care