Capacity Building &Conflict &Health Systems &Integration Bill Brieger | 07 Sep 2020 08:36 pm
Malaria News Today 2020-09-07
Today’s updates are brief and look at Vietnam in Southeast Asia and South Sudan in Africa. Both are concerned with health systems issues. Please click on links to read more details.
Malaria Week 2020 – Why Integration Could Be the Key to Elimination
Hosted by the Government of Vietnam, Malaria Week 2020 (7-11 September) brings together government officials and diverse partners to drive forward the elimination of malaria from Asia Pacific by 2030. This year’s theme centres on the three I’s – Inclusion. Integration. Innovation – and captures the ambition to unite the region and harness innovation as efforts intensify to eradicate malaria globally and in Asia Pacific. Key topics in the series this week include surveillance systems, sustaining health financing, and innovation within the malaria landscape.
Given the backdrop of COVID-19 to this year’s event, discussions will have a focus on sustaining health financing and in particular malaria interventions during a pandemic, the critical role of community-based approaches in health systems strengthening and the need for strong surveillance and timely reporting, in addition to the role of innovation and private provider engagement in accelerating malaria elimination and strengthening health security.
Healthcare in South Sudan: A Fractured System
A limited access to healthcare facilities, medical supplies in South Sudan results in high number of preventable deaths. high rates of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and diarrheal diseases in country.
The South Sudanese population has very limited access to healthcare facilities, with only 44% of the population living within a one-hour walk of a medical center. This adds an extra burden on those in need of medical attention as the majority of the population has to walk for an extended time to reach a medical center. During a time of civil unrest, traveling for an extended period comes with increased exposure to the risk of ambushes and looting.