In 2019, the Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health concluded that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages were a highly effective but greatly underused policy tool to reduce consumption, save lives, and raise domestic resources. The Task Force estimated that if all countries increa...sed their excise taxes to raise prices by 50 percent, over 50 million premature deaths could be averted worldwide over the next 50 years while
raising over USD 20 trillion of additional revenue. Since the Task Force first convened, the world has faced a “polycrisis,” including a global pandemic, an economic recession, and the outbreak of wars in Europe and the Middle East. Against this backdrop, the world has also experienced prolonged health and fiscal crises. Health systems, weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, lack sufficient financing to rebuild and respond to the surging noncommunicable diseases epidemic caused by uncontrolled risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and sugar consumption. Opportunities to raise domestic resources are limited and debt burdens have squeezed budgets. The period from 2019 to 2027 risks becoming a “lost decade” for health and social policies, with 110 countries facing little prospect of any
ability to raise government revenues beyond current levels. In this paper, we describe the current health and fiscal crises and review the contribution that health taxes could make in turning around this dire situation. We conclude that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and
sugar-sweetened beverages are an ideal policy solution—good for the budget and good for health. These taxes are relatively quick to implement, and, unlike other taxes, do not put economic growth at risk—a vital benefit in the current era.
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Frequent efforts to revise the official development assistance (ODA) accounting rules have raised important questions about the integrity and relevance of what currently “counts” as ODA spending. In this note, we outline a brief history of the evolution of the ODA accounting rules to date, highl...ighting how—and why—the ODA concept has changed since it emerged in 1969. Doing so provides a starting point for considering whether the current concept of ODA remains “fit for purpose” and whether, or how, the concept could reform to better meet current needs.
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The UK could regain its leadershipin the provision of development assistance for healthunder the next government. But this doesn’t seem likely if the party manifestos are any guide.
The Plan subscribes to the goals and pillars of the WHO Global Technical Strategy against Malaria 2016-2030 (GTS), while presenting key elements to address the specific challenges of the Region.
The Malaria Ministerial Conference, co-hosted by WHO and the Government of Cameroon on 6 March 2024, brought together more than 400 stakeholders, including Ministers of Health and senior representatives from the African countries hardest hit by malaria, global health leaders, scientists, civil socie...ty and other partners. The pivotal meeting sought to leverage political commitment, scientific innovation and community engagement to reshape the trajectory of malaria control in high burden African countries, and beyond.
At the end of the meeting and in the weeks that followed, Ministers of Health from the 11 “High Burden High Impact” African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania) signed the Yaoundé Declaration, pledging their “unwavering commitment” to the principle that “no one should die from malaria given the tools and systems available.” Success in reducing malaria morbidity and mortality will hinge on efforts by countries to translate this political commitment into actions and resources that will save lives.
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Challenges and Opportunities. This report presents a comprehensive assessment of the education and labor markets for nurses in the ECSA region. It documents the main challenges to train and deploy nurses and discusses opportunities for government and private sector employers to overcome these chall...enges. The report provides empirical evidence to support the expansion of nursing education within the region with a focus on private sector engagement, effective labor market regulation, and regional collaboration. A regional focus for investment may be necessary to create enough potential deals, reduce individual country and regulatory risks, encourage good private institutions to move across borders within the region, and seek to create regional standards for regulation.
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In 2008 the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) commissioned a national health and social service system review which found that although some progress has been made in primary health care, provision of health services did not go beyond the health facilities, irrespective of the fast dist...ances between the Health facilities and community. The review then recommended that health services should be extended in a structured manner to communities through the establishment of paid health workers.
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Namibia is estimated to be at 94-97-93 as defined by the UNAIDS 95-95-95 treatment cascade, one of the first high burden countries to approach epidemic control. COP22 is about sustaining the impact of years of investment and partnership with the Namibian government and other stakeholders by employin...g targeted and innovative approaches to prevent new infections, reduce mortality rates, and strengthen the health system to endure the impact of unexpected external shocks, while still providing person-centered health services.
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BMJ Open Quality 2017;6:e000145. doi:10.1136/
bmjoq-2017-000145Although there are many evidence-based practices that reduce the risk of maternal and neonatal mortality around the time of birth, there remains a gap between what is known and the care received. This knowdo gap is a source of preventab...le maternal and perinatal deaths and is the focus of improvement efforts in many countries. Following an increase in perinatal and maternal deaths, Gobabis District Hospital initiated a quality improvement (QI) initiative to increase adherence to these WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC)-targeted essential birth practices.
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Diese Publikation erklärt anhand von Grafiken die Wichtigkeit von Entwicklungszusammenarbeit im Allgemeinen und für Gesundheit im Speziellen. Denn finanzielle Beiträge im Rahmen der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit haben sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten als unerlässlich, wirksam, günstig und verantwor...tungsvoll erwiesen.
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This publication uses graphics to explain the importance of development cooperation in general and for health in particular. Financial contributions in the context of development cooperation have proven to be indispensable, effective, affordable and responsible in recent decades.
This comprehensive reference document is intended for those responsible for training in SMC (Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention). It assumes that SMC will be implemented using the Community Health Worker strategy.
This Communication Guide for Malaria Control Interventions is aligned with Tanzania’s Malaria Strategic Plan (2015–2020) and provides comprehensive guidance on the implementation of Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malaria. It is int...ended for all stakeholders and implementing partners, with the aim of ensuring harmonised messaging and coordinated communication efforts. The guide outlines strategies, key messages, communication channels and target audiences, with a focus on sustaining and improving malaria-related behaviours at the individual, family and community levels. It incorporates malaria stratification and supports the development of tailored SBCC interventions in different risk areas. Developed with contributions from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Malaria Control Programme and various partner organisations, the guide aims to reduce the malaria burden and promote a malaria-free Tanzania. Supplemented by Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the guide serves as a practical tool for consistent and effective malaria communication nationwide.
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This Implementation Kit (I-Kit), developed by the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3), which is funded by USAID and based at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, offers structured guidance for improving social and behavioural change communication (SBCC) strategies relat...ed to malaria in pregnancy (MiP). Designed for programme managers and stakeholders, the toolkit addresses critical communication gaps in MiP programming, particularly among service providers. It provides tools to help users integrate MiP into situation analyses, segment audiences, define behavioural objectives and draft strategic communication plans.
MiP poses a significant public health challenge, contributing to maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. Although effective interventions exist, such as the use of insecticide-treated nets, intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) and timely diagnosis and treatment, their implementation remains inconsistent. The I-Kit supports more effective SBCC planning and implementation, with the aim of increasing the uptake and impact of these interventions and ultimately reducing malaria-related deaths and illness among pregnant women and newborns.
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In 2023, Breakthrough ACTION and Guyana’s Ministry of Health refined the 'Lil Mosquito, Big Problem' malaria campaign using human-centred design. Phase II introduced peer-led videos (Miners' Buzz), community champions, incentives for volunteer testers and a transport network to improve supply deli...very. These efforts enhanced engagement, coordination and timely reporting, reaching over 7,800 people. The campaign's innovative, community-driven approach has improved malaria prevention in remote mining regions.
Accessed on 20/06/2025.
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Report of a virtual meeting 21–23 June 2022
Community led-monitoring is based on the principle that «Nothing that is done for us should
be done without us”. The combination of this principle with evidence shows that community-led
monitoring is an important driver of improved service delivery and health outcomes that needs to
be re-empha...sized. Thus, the community must participate at all stages of the fight against malaria.
This guide will be useful to CSOs working in the field of malaria in the conduct of community-led
monitoring of activities efficiently and allow these CSOs to know their role and responsibilities in this
exercise at each key stage. This guide will also provide CSOs and communities affected by malaria
with templates of monitoring tools adapted to key malaria programs.
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Pillar 3 of the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 calls for the transformation of malaria surveillance into a core intervention in all malaria-endemic countries, as well as in countries which have eliminated malaria but remain susceptible to re-establishment of transmission. This ref...erence manual covers subjects that are relevant to both settings.
The target readership of this manual includes staff working in ministries of health, national malaria programmes and health information systems; partners involved in malaria surveillance; and WHO technical officers who advise countries on malaria surveillance.
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Implementation reference guide. This Malaria Surveillance Assessment Toolkit implementation reference guide is a comprehensive reference document, as well as a step by-step guide. It aligns and adapts available tools into a single set of standardized tools, which can be used to conduct malaria surve...illance assessments across all transmission settings. Use of these standardized tools allows comparison of results between countries and within the same country over time, enabling countries to track their progress towards surveillance system strengthening.
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Anopheles stephensi is an invasive mosquito species which has been found spreading across Africa. While this species presents a new challenge for malaria control on the continent, its surveillance and management have been ongoing in Asia for many years. This document aims to summarize key lessons fr...om 3 countries – India, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Sri Lanka – that have been working to control An. stephensi. It is hoped that their experiences and insights will be valuable for countries encountering An. stephensi for the first time.
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