Ensuring equity in the prevention of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is critical to reach NTD elimination goals as well as to inform Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have unmasked inequities in the delivery of Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programmes that leave vulnerable populations underserved.
Individuals and communities affected by NTDs are often the poorest and most marginalized.
NTDs amenable to prevention through MDA programmes have been described as the “litmus test” for UHC due to the high MDA coverage rates needed to be effective and their model of community engagement for access and acceptance of medicines.
In the new work, LSTM’s Laura Dean and colleagues within the COUNTDOWN consortium analyzed MDA programmes across Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria. They used both qualitative programmatic analysis and gendered intersectional theory— which provides a framework for how power and position shape people’s experiences— to interrogate the domains of coverage within the Tanahashi Framework; availability, accessibility, acceptability, contact, and effectiveness of programmes.
The team found effective treatment for individuals and communities is shaped by individual identities and the intersecting axes of inequity that converge to shape these positions, including gender, age, disability, and geography. Health systems bottlenecks, challenges, and limitations, sometimes due to lack of consideration and discussion of gender and equity issues have left vulnerable populations underserved in relation to the prevention and treatment of PC NTDs across all types of coverage explored within the Tanahashi framework.
“As we move toward the progressive realization of UHC, these findings should be central to discussions on providing health for all,” the researchers say. “MDA campaigns have been implemented for many years and the inequities within them are only now being discussed.”
Neglected Tropical Diseases as a ‘litmus test’ for Universal Health Coverage? Understanding who is left behind and why in Mass Drug Administration: Lessons from four country contexts
Dean L, Ozano K, Adekeye O, Dixon R, Fung EG, et al. (2019) Neglected Tropical Diseases as a ‘litmus test’ for Universal Health Coverage? Understanding who is left behind and why in Mass Drug Administration: Lessons from four country contexts. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 13(11): e0007847.
COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
Department of Medicine presents Asthma and CPD
Update Course
Date: Sunday 26 January 2020
Time: 0900-1200
Venue: College of Medicine, Library Auditorium
The complete course attracts 4 CPD points. Certificate of completion will be provided.
Course Fee: K25,375 per participant. Course fees cover refreshments
Who should apply: Medical/Clinical Practitioners, Nurses, Researchers, and the General public
Application Deadline: Applications should be submitted through email as follows:
To book your place and for more information please contact cometo@medcol.mw or telephone 0187 1911 ext 351
Look out for the next update course on Cardiac Arrhythmias
Strategies to Improve Health Outcomes and to Reduce Disparities in Rural Populations (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
This RFA encourages research to promote a greater understanding of the challenges faced by rural population groups, for the development (or adoption/adaptation) of evidence-based interventions that can reduce health risks faced by rural Americans. Both prevention and treatment interventions are needed to address rural health issues. Prevention strategies should address and measure reductions in risk factors and enhancement of protective factors, while treatment approaches would seek to measure and address amelioration of health in individuals living with existing conditions.
Link: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NR-20-001.html
Application deadline: 14 December, 2019
Improving the Reach and Quality of Cancer Care in Rural Populations (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to reduce the burden of cancer and improve the quality of cancer care in rural areas among low-income and/or underserved populations. The FOA encourages two types of applications: (1) observational research that includes intervention pilot testing to understand and address predictors of cancer care/treatment and outcomes in rural low-income and/or underserved populations; or (2) intervention research to address known predictors of cancer care/treatment and outcomes in rural low-income and/or underserved populations.
Link: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-19-064.html
Application Deadline: 15 December, 2019
