Fortune Bwenje’s Post

What does HONA do? We focus on addressing Africa's healthcare challenges through research, innovation, and workforce capacity building. From maternal health to nutrition programs for children under 5, we're here to make a difference. Our projects focus on practical solutions to improve health outcomes for communities across Africa. Learn more about our initiatives and how we are driving positive change! #HONAImpact #HealthcareInnovation #AfricanHealthcare

Health Clusters collectively prepare for and respond to humanitarian and public health emergencies to improve the health outcomes of affected populations through timely, predictable, appropriate, and effective coordinated health action. Enroll and learn following the link: https://lnkd.in/d3G7GUZf World Health Organization

Reflecting on my discussion about the importance of considering social determinants in health outcomes measurement reporting in South Africa! 🇿🇦🏥 Understanding that health outcomes go beyond metrics because communities don't all begin their health journey from the same starting point. Especially in a diverse country like South Africa, which has gross inequality, we must acknowledge the profound impact of social determinants on health. Consider this scenario: a doctor working near a mine dump cares for patients facing compromised air quality, vastly different from an area with pristine air. Yet, traditional metrics might treat them equally, ignoring these critical contextual differences and their impact on outcomes for chronic respiratory conditions. Advocating for equity and justice in health outcomes reporting is essential for a fairer healthcare system. Transparency and embedding equity in healthcare incentives are crucial to achieving #HealthJustice. It's imperative to prioritise fairness and measure outcomes while addressing fundamental enablers of #HealthDisparities to support vulnerable communities effectively. #HealthEquity #EthicsInHealth #SouthAfrica

The simultaneous impact of the cholera outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic on Zambia's demographic trends is a significant public health concern, especially considering the strain on the country's health systems and the vulnerability of its communities. The coexistence of these two health crises underscores the urgent need for immediate funding and swift implementation of public health activities to address the challenges posed by these outbreaks.

Across the world, nearly 800 women die in childbirth every day, leaving families and communities devastated. Most of these deaths are preventable, making each loss even more tragic. Ethiopia's remarkable reduction in maternal mortality by over 70% since 1990 is a beacon of hope. Through community engagement and improved healthcare services, countless lives have been saved and families kept whole. This success story underscores the profound impact of targeted interventions. Discover how global health researchers can adapt Ethiopia’s life-saving strategies to other contexts and countries. #MaternalHealth #GlobalHealth #Ethiopia https://lnkd.in/eDmWcukZ

The Public Health Agency of Canada is in the process of developing a vision for what public health assessment in Canada could look like by 2030. They need to hear from you to make sure that the vision is well informed by the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples and peoples of colour - so among others - there is a strong and consistent call for ethno-racial and other equity-defined disaggregated data - across all measures, indicators, and indices - to make all the many hidden inequities and disparities visible, to inform public health planning and interventions, as well as to focus and appropriately target any and all initiatives to address social/structural/systemic determinants of health.

Leader of People's Health. A commentary published in the BMJ Global Health on the outstanding life and contribution of the legendary Bangladeshi public health leader, Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury.

MERQ Consultancy has been selected by Engender Health to lead the baseline assessment for USAID's Lowland Health Activity (LHA), a crucial five-year project aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality in Ethiopia. MERQ will conduct a comprehensive assessment across the lowland regions, focusing on RMNCH-N services and the unique challenges faced by pastoralist communities. This effort will provide critical insights to guide LHA's tailored interventions, reinforcing MERQ's commitment to delivering high-quality evidence that strengthens health systems and informs large-scale health programs in Ethiopia. https://lnkd.in/e2YAJTkS

Australia's Health 2024 report card just launched by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Insightful but confronting insights about Australia's health! Here's what caught my attention: ⚕ Chronic conditions contributed to 89-92% of all deaths each year in Australia from 2002-22 ⚕ $241.3 billion was spent on health in 2021-2, about $9,365 per person ⚕ 66% of adults live with overweight or obesity, up from 56% in 1995 ⚕ 43% of Australians aged 16-85 have experienced a mental disorder in their life, at 2020-2022 ⚕ 8.8 million presentations to emergency departments in public hospitals in 2022-3 ⚕ Over 450 new cases of cancer were diagnosed daily in 2023 ⚕ By disease group, cancer remains the leading cause of premature death in Australia, contributing to one-third of the fatal burden in 2023, followed by cardiovascular disease ⚕ The leading causes of ill health between 2003 and 2023 were mental and substance use disorders, followed by musculoskeletal disorders https://lnkd.in/g6PYyP3w

I promised few weeks ago to continue contributing to the public health debate in Africa. Based on my extensive experience in Africa, I am proposing a new public health approach in Africa. It is a matter of starting the reflection on the subject so your comments are welcome. A new public health approach in Africa is needed. It should be based on a better research and analytics of public health situations, the use of technological innovations including Artificial Intelligence (AI), with heightened agility between health promotion, prevention and curative approach. It should be the basis for an effective contextualised interventions to reverse trends of some major public health issues like child and maternal mortality. It should provide evidence-based data and information for joint planning with all relevant stakeholders (like Africa CDC) for more synergy, around national authorities. It should also help for a renewed commitment to primary health care with a multisectoral approach and community participation. Finally, it should be based on a public health risks management with a comprehensive “public health surveillance”, training on local major health problems by strong public health agencies or entities, in support to health planning, and interventions monitoring. WHO should probably take the lead as a technical Agency based its comparative advantage in global health. See below 👇🏾 the graph summarising the approach.