Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Daniel Smithers, Howard Waitzkin
Summary: Universal health coverage (UHC) has become the dominant global health policy, excluding discussions about alternative approaches to health system transformation. The definition of UHC varies widely and lacks clarity in the literature. The focus is often on tiered benefits and preventing catastrophic individual expenditures, rather than universal budgeting of a national health care system or national health insurance.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Emmanuel Kumah
Summary: Informal healthcare providers play a significant role in healthcare delivery systems in low-and-middle-income countries, presenting both challenges and opportunities.
GLOBALIZATION AND HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Oluwasegun Jko Ogundele, Shaza Fadel, Paula Braitstein, Erica Di Ruggiero
Summary: This study aims to understand how sustainable financing and equitable immunisation are conceptualised by health actors like Gavi, and government-related entities in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), and how financing mechanisms can affect universal coverage of vaccines. A scoping review will be conducted on both peer-reviewed and grey literature focusing on implementation research of pneumococcal conjugate and rotavirus vaccination interventions.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kaung Suu Lwin, Adam D. Koon, Kumanan Rasanathan, Abdillah Ahsan, Daniel Erku, Melissa Mialon, Silvana Perez-Leon, Arti Singh, Zafar Mirza, Mario Zuleta, Shiva Raj Adhikari, Yubraj Acharya, Son The Dao, Sabrina Rasheed, Jeremias Paul Jr, Robert Marten
Summary: Health taxes are effective policy instruments for saving lives, raising government revenues, and improving equity. However, they conflict with commercial interests. Multiple frames exist in different settings, shaping discourse and policies related to health taxes. Understanding how to strategically position health taxes can empower policymakers and support broader coalitions for their advancement.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Liesbeth Huisman, Shannen M. C. van Duijn, Nuno Silva, Rianne van Doeveren, Jacinta Michuki, Moses Kuria, David Otieno Okeyo, Isaiah Okoth, Nathalie Houben, Tobias F. Rinke de Wit, Khama Rogo
Summary: This paper discusses how leveraging mobile health platforms can address the challenges of achieving universal health coverage in low- and middle-income countries. By analyzing data collected from a mobile health platform, healthcare provider networks can be optimized, patient flows can be monitored, and the quality and accessibility of care can be assessed. Real-time data on health-seeking behavior, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, is emphasized as important. The use of mobile health platforms can provide valuable insights into improving access to and quality of care, and can unite funding for healthcare to reduce fragmentation.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Prakash Babu Kodali
Summary: This article reviews the policy challenges to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) in a post-pandemic world, including weak public health care systems, challenges to building resilient health systems, healthcare financing and financial risk protection, epidemiological and demographic challenges, and governance and leadership. Low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South Asia face significant challenges to achieving UHC by 2030, requiring efficient resource mobilization through internal accruals, international cooperation, and resource sharing.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND HEALTHCARE POLICY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Andreea A. Creanga, Martin A. J. Dohlsten, Elizabeth K. Stierman, Allisyn C. Moran, Meighan Mary, Elizabeth Katwan, Blerta Maliqi
Summary: This study aimed to describe the maternal health policy environment and examine its relationship with maternal health service utilization in LMICs. The study found that despite the availability of supportive structures and free maternity service access policies, there is a dire need for stronger policy support for clinical guidelines and practice regulations, as well as national reporting and review systems for maternal health.
JOURNAL OF GLOBAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Johnny Ludvigsson, Majaliwa Edna, Kaushik Ramaiya
Summary: In several low and middle income countries, many patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) are often undiagnosed, leading to a low incidence rate. This study focused on T1D in children and young people in Tanzania, a country with low income and limited resources. Analyses of casebooks, statistics, and information from various organizations were conducted, revealing that although the incidence rate is low in several areas, the number of patients has increased significantly in recent years due to increased awareness. Patients often present with typical symptoms of T1D and poor blood glucose control, with complications developing at a short duration of diabetes.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Meighan Mary, Blerta Maliqi, Elizabeth K. Stierman, Martin A. J. Dohlsten, Allisyn C. Moran, Elizabeth Katwan, Andreea A. Creanga
Summary: This study aimed to assess the availability of newborn health policies in low- and middle- income countries and their impact on achieving global goals for neonatal mortality and stillbirth rates in 2019. The researchers used data from the World Health Organization's policy survey and found that while most countries had policies in place, the specifications varied greatly. They also found that LMICs with policies on the management of small and sick newborns were more likely to reach the global neonatal mortality target. The study highlights the importance of supportive health systems and evidence-informed policies for newborn health in LMICs.
JOURNAL OF GLOBAL HEALTH
(2023)
Review
Psychology, Developmental
Elizabeth K. Stierman, Anna Kalbarczyk, Htet Nay Lin Oo, Theadora Swift Koller, David H. Peters
Summary: This study conducted a scoping review of literature published between 2005 and 2019 on barriers to health services for adolescents in low- and middle-income countries, finding that research on barriers mainly focused on acceptability and availability dimensions, with less evaluation on utilization and effective coverage, and limited attention to equity stratifiers.
JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Pascale Allotey, T. K. Sundari Ravindran, Vithiya Sathivelu
Summary: The decision to terminate a pregnancy reflects limited sexual autonomy, ineffective contraceptive options, or health reasons. Abortion is protected under human rights law, but remains contested in many parts of the world. Criminalization of a women's choice not to carry a pregnancy is a significant driver of unsafe procedures.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PUBLIC HEALTH, VOL 42, 2021
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alexander S. Preker, Daniel Cotlear, Soonman Kwon, Rifat Atun, Carlos Avila
Summary: Achieving Universal Health Coverage is achievable in middle-income and upper-middle-income countries, but success and failure can be observed in different approaches such as contributory health insurance and core government funding. Legal guarantees and national health legislation are necessary but not sufficient for success, as sustainability and supply and demand constraints need to be addressed.
JOURNAL OF GLOBAL HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Dominic Montagu
Summary: European countries have different models of healthcare provision for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with some countries having a predominant private sector presence and others minimally relying on it. Research suggests that UHC can be effectively provided with or without a large-scale private sector involvement, while still maintaining high levels of patient satisfaction.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Oghenowede Eyawo, A. M. Viens, Uchechukwu Chidiebere Ugoji
Summary: Lockdowns can effectively slow down disease transmission, but they also come with significant social and economic burdens, especially for low- and middle-income countries. While many high-income countries have access to COVID-19 vaccines, LMICs may have to wait longer, making them more vulnerable to subsequent waves of the pandemic. This increases the risk of LMICs re-imposing lockdown measures in the meantime.
GLOBALIZATION AND HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Angela Muriuki, Melanie Yahner, Michael Kiragu, Joseph de Graft-Johnson, Preston Izulla
Summary: Timely and quality postnatal care is crucial for reducing maternal and newborn mortality and advancing universal health coverage. However, the coverage of postnatal care remains low in many low-income and middle-income countries. Risk-stratified approaches can help maximize limited resources by targeting mother-baby dyads with evidence-based risk criteria.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Adam D. Koon, Angelica Lopez-Hernandez, Connie Hoe, Andres Vecino-Ortiz, Flavio J. C. Cunto, Manoel M. De Castro-Neto, Abdulgafoor M. Bachani
Summary: The study found differences in road safety networks in Fortaleza and Sao Paulo, with government agencies central in both, but with international and local NGOs also playing important roles. The importance of politics, data transparency, and strategic planning for network expansion and fluidity was highlighted.
TRAFFIC INJURY PREVENTION
(2022)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Adam D. Koon, Jenna Wright, Leulseged Ageze, Jodi Charles, Jeanna Holtz
Summary: This study conducted a case study and expert interviews to explore Ethiopia's Essential Health Services Package (EHSP), Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI), and Social Health Insurance (SHI). It was found that these three mechanisms are not explicitly aligned in Ethiopia, with EHSP playing a crucial role in the early stages of health system development, but its importance becoming less clear as governments develop more comprehensive health benefit plans.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Ross MacKenzie, Benjamin Hawkins, Daniel Eisenkraft Klein, Mustafa Ahmad, Amanda Keys Norman, Adam Koon
Summary: The opioid crisis in the United States has resulted in a significant number of deaths and is expected to continue to rise. Recent settlements in litigation have provided access to previously confidential corporate documents related to the opioid industry. These documents offer insights into the operations and strategies of manufacturers and other actors in the opioid supply chain. The availability of these documents is important for researching the causes and effects of the opioid crisis, as well as understanding the role of corporate actors in public health outcomes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY
(2023)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Obinna Onwujekwe, Prince Agwu, Pallavi Roy, Eleanor Hutchinson, Charles Orjiakor, Martin McKee, Aloysius Odii, Chukwudi Nwokolo, Mushtaq Khan, Susannah Mayhew, Dina Balabanova
Summary: Absenteeism among PHC workers in Nigeria is a major obstacle to achieving UHC. The dominant approach of government-led topdown solutions has not been successful. This paper explores grassroots approaches, highlighting the importance of community resources, philanthropic support, and engaging trained health workers to address absenteeism. However, a holistic response should combine horizontal and vertical measures.
HEALTH SYSTEMS & REFORM
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Samuel T. Boland, Dina Balabanova, Susannah Mayhew
Summary: The 2013-2016 West Africa Ebola Epidemic was the largest outbreak of Ebola in history. The military intervention by the British and Sierra Leonean militaries was seen as valuable for containing the outbreak, but it also caused structural harm, resulting in a vicious cycle.
CONFLICT AND HEALTH
(2023)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Adam D. Koon, Robert Marten
Summary: Health taxes are considered effective policy instruments for controlling non-communicable diseases, improving health, and generating government revenues. However, there is limited understanding of the different framing strategies used by health advocates and industry representatives, and how they employ morals and values to persuade. More research, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, is needed to better understand the politics of framing health taxes.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Christine Johnson Curtis, Matti Marklund, Akshar Saxena, Eva Goyena, Josie Desnacido, Adam D. Koon, Bethany Warren, Laura K. Cobb, Megan Henry, Lawrence J. Appel, Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa
Summary: Fiscal policies to improve diet are a promising strategy for addressing non-communicable diseases. Cost-effectiveness analyses can provide evidence for designing these policies. Modelling considerations for food taxes include data availability, nutrient content, tax structure, and rate. By taking these factors into account, policymakers can design food tax policies to improve the health and well-being of future generations.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kaung Suu Lwin, Adam D. Koon, Kumanan Rasanathan, Abdillah Ahsan, Daniel Erku, Melissa Mialon, Silvana Perez-Leon, Arti Singh, Zafar Mirza, Mario Zuleta, Shiva Raj Adhikari, Yubraj Acharya, Son The Dao, Sabrina Rasheed, Jeremias Paul Jr, Robert Marten
Summary: Health taxes are effective policy instruments for saving lives, raising government revenues, and improving equity. However, they conflict with commercial interests. Multiple frames exist in different settings, shaping discourse and policies related to health taxes. Understanding how to strategically position health taxes can empower policymakers and support broader coalitions for their advancement.
Review
Substance Abuse
Jake Lang, Emily Mendenhall, Adam D. Koon
Summary: This article reviews research on the interaction between opioid-related morbidity and mortality and other social, psychiatric, and biological conditions, highlighting the syndemic nature of the problem. Opioid-related overdose syndemics are driven by commercial interests and disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities, interacting with various other health conditions. However, the research often fails to address the macro-structural drivers of localized disease clustering and remains disconnected from the wider discourse on Deaths of Despair. It is crucial to redirect attention to the sociopolitical forces shaping opioid-related overdose syndemics to prevent future health crises caused by commercial interests and to help those affected by these deadly syndemics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Daniela C. Rodriguez, Lakshmi Narasimhan Balaji, Elita Chamdimba, Juba Kafumba, Adam D. Koon, Jacob Mazalale, Dadirai Mkombe, Joshua Munywoki, Tawonga Mwase-Vuma, Justine Namakula, Bejoy Nambiar, Abigail H. Neel, Xavier Nsabagasani, Ligia Paina, Braeden Rogers, Maxton Tsoka, Evelyn Waweru, Alister Munthali, Freddie Ssengooba, Benjamin Tsofa
Summary: This study explores the impact of decentralization on primary health care performance in Eastern and Southern Africa. It finds that while decentralization has the potential to improve decision-making and community input, it is hindered by bureaucracy, underfunding, and weak accountability mechanisms. Without addressing these challenges, the goals of universal health coverage and the SDGs will be difficult to achieve.
HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Samuel T. Boland, Dina Balabanova, Susannah Mayhew
Summary: This study found that the hierarchical Ebola response centres effectively eased civil-military relationships and increased efficiency through the use of 'rule-bound niches', 'neutral zones', 'co-dependence', and 'hybridity'. Additionally, the centres were inclusive spaces that further increased efficiency through decentralisation and localisation of interventions, catering mainly to privileged groups in limited ways. This suggests that an 'inclusive hierarchical coordination' could be a viable and ethical strategy for future public health emergency responses, allowing for the inclusion of typically marginalized local actors while improving operational efficiency.
GLOBALIZATION AND HEALTH
(2023)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Robert C. Hughes, Martin Antonio, Rhiannon Osborne, Susannah H. Mayhew, Andy Haines
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Adam D. Koon, Emily Mendenhall, Benjamin Hawkins
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jessie K. Hamon, Misozi Kambanje, Shannon Pryor, Alice S. Kaponda, Erick Mwale, Susannah H. Mayhew, Jayne Webster, Helen E. D. Burchett
Summary: Evidence suggests that integrating family planning with childhood immunization services can help meet the postpartum family planning needs of women in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the quality and responsiveness of these integrated services have been understudied. A qualitative study in Malawi identified hardware and software factors that influence the responsiveness of family planning services integrated with childhood immunizations. Factors such as access, choice of provider, environment, continuity, confidentiality, communication, dignity, and counseling were found to impact service responsiveness. The study highlights the importance of considering software elements in the design and delivery of integrated services.
HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Neha S. Singh, Andrea K. Blanchard, Hannah Blencowe, Adam D. Koon, Ties Boerma, Sudha Sharma, Oona M. R. Campbell
Summary: Research is needed to understand why some countries succeed in improving maternal, late foetal, and newborn health more than others. A conceptual framework has been developed to explain the factors that contribute to these improvements, including health policy and system levers, service delivery and coverage, and epidemiological and behavioral risk factors. The framework also considers the role of context in influencing health outcomes.
HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING
(2022)
