Is the Bamako Initiative Still Relevant for West African Health Systems?

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valéry Ridde
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-31
Author(s):  
Mêtowanou Héribert AHOUANDJINOU ◽  
Daton MEDENOU ◽  
Leandro PECCHIA ◽  
Roland C. HOUESSOUVO ◽  
Thierry Rock JOSSOU

Background: Because of the health systems globalization, it is important to examine health systems organization in Africa, in terms of patient care, to highlight the failures and propose possible solutions. Objective: Modeling based on the Internet of Things (IoT) an Integrated Network for Monitoring Patient Data in West African Health Systems. Methodology: To achieve this, three steps have been followed. 1) Identification of the different characteristics of IoT-based health surveillance systems, WBAN systems and physiological parameters monitorable on a patient. 2) The modeling of the architecture of West African health systems in the form of a cloud of Technocentres. 3) Cross analysis between different IoT technologies, characteristics and functional requirements identified. All this is based on wireless medical sensor networks in Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) systems. Result: This work has been used to model health systems in Africa as a remote monitoring network for patients. Conclusion: The implementation of this model of monitoring networks will be a tool for supporting large-scale decision-making for a health system in Africa. It will enable the West African health system to have an information database.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Issiaka Sombie ◽  
Aissa Bouwayé ◽  
Yves Mongbo ◽  
Namoudou Keita ◽  
Virgil Lokossou ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Semeeh Akinwale Omoleke ◽  
Ibrahim Mohammed ◽  
Yauba Saidu

The West African sub-continent is currently experiencing its first, and ironically, the largest and longest Ebola viral diseases (EVD) outbreak ever documented in modern medical history. The current outbreak is significant in several ways, including longevity, magnitude of morbidity and mortality, occurrence outside the traditional niches, rapid spread and potential of becoming a global health tragedy. The authors provided explicit insights into the current and historical background, drivers of the epidemic, societal impacts, status of vaccines and drugs development and proffered recommendations to halt and prevent future occurrences. The authors reviewed mainly five databases and a hand search of key relevant literature. We reviewed 51 articles that were relevant up until the 18th of August 2014. The authors supplemented the search with reference list of relevant articles and grey literature as well as relevant Internet websites. Article searches were limited to those published either in English or French. There are strong indications that the EVD may have been triggered by increased human activities and encroachment into the forest ecosystem spurred by increasing population and povertydriven forest-dependent local economy. Containment efforts are being hampered by weak and fragile health systems, including public health surveillance and weak governance, certain socio-anthropological factors, fast travels (improved transport systems) and globalization. The societal impacts of the EBV outbreak are grave, including economic shutdown, weakening of socio-political systems, psychological distress, and unprecedented consumption of scarce health resources. The research and development (R&D) pipeline for product against EBV seems grossly insufficient. The outbreak of Ebola and the seeming difficulty to contain the epidemic is simply a reflection of the weak health system, poor surveillance and emergency preparedness/ response, poverty and disconnect between the government and the people in many West African countries. Although interventions by the United Nations and other international development agencies could ultimately halt the epidemic, local communities must be engaged to build trust and create demand for the public health interventions being implemented in the Ebola-ravaged populations. In the intermediate and long term, post-Ebola rehabilitation should focus on strengthening of health systems, improving awareness about zoonosis and health behaviors, alleviating poverty and mitigating the impact of triggering factors. Finally, national governments and international development partners should mobilize huge resources and investments to spur or facilitate R&D of disease control tools for emerging and pernicious infectious diseases (not limited to EVD).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Oluwafunmilola Kolawole

BACKGROUND The clinical decision support system (CDSS) has been an important achievement of health technology in the 21st century. In developed countries, it has transformed the way health services are being delivered and has shown to be a tool that reduces medical errors and misdiagnoses in Healthcare. However, CDSS remains underutilized in developing countries in Africa. OBJECTIVE This study aims to review the literature to improve our understanding of the “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)” associated with CDSS implementation in African health systems. METHODS This study included a literature review conducted in PubMed with a total of 19 articles between the year 2010 to date (past 10years) reviewed for key themes and categorized into one of 4 possible areas within the SWOT analysis. RESULTS Articles reviewed showed common strengths of efficiency at the workplace, Improved healthcare quality, benefits in developed countries, good examples of evidence-based decision making. unreliable electric power supply, inconsistent Internet connectivity, clinician's limited computer skills, and lack of enough published evidence of benefits in developing countries are listed as a weakness. The opportunities are high demand for evidence-based practice in healthcare, a strong demand for quality healthcare, growing interest to use modern technologies. The common threats identified are government policy, political instability, low funding and resistance of use by providers. CONCLUSIONS There’s the need to work on the technical, organizational and financial barriers to ensure high adoption and implementation of the CDSS in African Health systems. Also, the lag on the knowledge available on its impact in developing countries must be worked on by supporting more studies to add to the body of knowledge.


BMJ ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 349 (dec15 16) ◽  
pp. g7668-g7668 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gulland

Author(s):  
Louis S. Jenkins ◽  
Klaus B. von Pressentin ◽  
Zilla North ◽  
Gideon van Tonder

Author(s):  
Benjamin Uchenna Anaemene

From the outset the founding fathers of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recognized the relevance of integration in the social sector based on the conviction that intense cooperation in the economic and political sectors alone will not bring about lasting regional integration. For instance, the ECOWAS treaty of 1975 and revised treaty of 1993 had the promotion of social progress and collaboration in the social field as one of the objectives of the community. Yet scholars have not given it the deserved attention. This paper therefore represents an attempt to assess the extent to which the West African Health Organization (WAHO), a specialized health agency of ECOWAS, has contributed to regional health integration in West Africa. It argues that regional integration and cooperation should not be geared solely towards economic and political purposes. It also examines the achievements as well as the major challenges confronting WAHO. It concludes that regional health integration is no longer an option but an imperative for West African countries to meet their common health challenges.  


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