Johns Hopkins Public Health Magazine | JHSPH Magazine Forum on Public Health in Africa

JHSPH Magazine Forum on Public Health in Africa

Have a reason for optimism or concern about health in Africa? Want to share your perspective on how to protect health and save lives in Africa? Have a comment you want to make about a story in this special issue of Johns Hopkins Public Health magazine?

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On 6/21/2006 at 12:16 PM, William Masembe Nkata from UK &Uganda wrote:
Based on my experience of vulntary work in a project that links the youth and elderly, i have noted that the the thinking pattern of some members of the community,thier definition of poverty and poor health plays a big role in the sustainance of the two interlinked phenomena.Lack of leadership in changing peoples perceptions/understanding is an obstacle. Fear (strong belief) of supernatural powers (voodo)isnt addressed.people are held prisoners of fear:outcome;illhealth &poverty.These are areas that need critical analysis and study.I wish i can afford to.Simple projects involving the indegeneous teid on education/awareness can do more than big policy heavy funded projects which are open for fraud.Personally i funded an old age group to promote social contact and share indegineous knowledge with the youth for 3 years with not much. outcomes ware great i wish i could role it out. Few layers of buerocracy, a simple, clear and stakeholder formulated outcomes can make a difference. There are millions in the rural and urban areas who are not affected by "big time" highly political initiatives aimed at votes winning, myopic with no strategy of sustaining them. Facilitating a village of about 150 households with average of 8 occupants with at least two acres of unused land to plant at least two medicinal plants and teach the young ones, a small garden of green vegetables as a source of iron and keeping a pot of water near a pit latrine to wash thier hands after use, might bear better outcomes than a high powered project cascadeded from the ministry through layers of beurocrats.I have tried it, I am willing to continue doing it. I am looking for a net work of the like.Iam contactable at williamnkata@yahoo.co.uk. Many Thanks for this window.
On 6/19/2006 at 3:37 PM, Abisola Raimi-Abayomi, BSN, RN from Laurel, Maryland wrote:
I enjoyed reading the article on Africa titled "If We Don't Do IT Then Who?". The article addresses a lot of my beliefs, and passion to give back to my people. As an African American willing to commit to the health care education of her people, I do not know where to start. Do you have any ideas?
On 6/16/2006 at 5:58 AM, Dr.sanjeev Badiger from India wrote:
at prsent the biggest challenge for Africa is HIV/AIDS.this problem can be tackled condom promotion among and creating awraeness about safe sex among youth.intiating the collectves for alreday infected women and empoering them is one of the important component of pevention programme
On 6/5/2006 at 3:30 AM, Dr A.Abubakar from Nigeria wrote:
Health in Africa poses a great challenge to all stakeholders,However one has to appreciate a problem exists in order to tackle it.Enormous funds are being pumped into some projects at the detriment of major killers like malaria.On and on the list of problems are endless what is certain is that we Africans have to wake up and priotize and solve our problems.
On 6/4/2006 at 12:54 AM, Clementina Lwatula from University Of Queensland,Brisbane,Australia wrote:
I am less than halfway in my MPH and like Nana Ekow,I have been wondering why it had to take almost 10 years after Medical School and more than 5,000 miles to learn something as important as Epidemiology.We will not afford to incorporate everything about Public Health in Med School curricula but we can provide the "nucleus" that will allow practitioners to adequately answer the "whats,whys,whens and hows".Only then can they map out the best course of action.Secondly,we need to reach a stage where the knowledge will make us influence the course of action by Public leaders,society and ourselves; a change of direction to some(not all) of the norms and attributes that make us African will need to take place.For instance,can we honestly say we make budgetary allocations appropriately in the face of the overwhelming disease burden? The JHSPH Magazine is a masterpiece.Keep it up
On 6/2/2006 at 4:21 PM, Nana Ekow MD MPH from Boston , Massachusetts wrote:
Back in Medical school in my native Ghana , i was taught very complex genetic diseases.At the time it felt good...Von-Gierke's Disease, Histiocytosis X.... understanding all these 'exotic' diseases was very appealing to me and my colleagues Meanwhile i had little understanding of Biostatistics and Epidemiology.The impact of John Snow meant nothing to me.. all i cared for was the more fancy stem cell research, and the latest cephalosporins....After spending a year in grad school , i am more than convinced that the way forward for many , if not all , african countries lie in the field of Public health. We should,at least, strive as public health practioners to make Biostats and epidemiology attractive to the african medical student.
On 6/1/2006 at 6:59 AM, Kiggundu Frederick from Makerere University Institute Of Public Health wrote:
This has been my first time to read the JHSPH Magazine Forum on Public Health in Africa and am moved to say - Thank you - John Hopkins School of Public Health for all the efforts that you have put in to see that Uganda's Publi Health situation does not sink especially as regards training Uganda's top Public Health Experts, you will be hearing from me soon.
On 6/1/2006 at 4:58 AM, Grace Ansah from Tarkwa, Western Region wrote:
Sirs, I am a qualified ghanaian trained nurse in SRN, Midwifery and Public health. I have also graduated from the Wits University in South Africa in Occupational health.I have over twenty years working experience. Currently I am working with a mining company in the Wassa West dist in Tarkwa. I would like to join and assist you nation-wide. Please give me directives. Hoping to hear from you soon. Grace OHN
On 6/1/2006 at 4:16 AM, Taban Asega Kamala from Moyo, Uganda,East Africa wrote:
Africa's health problems have not got the attention they deserve.Malaria kills millions of our children annually, HIV/AIDS is silently stealing people from our communities. Many health intitutions are "churning out" graduates to sit in offices rather than go out in the communtities to empower them with health information.Many of us wait to be told what to do, than do what is appropriate to solve the prevalent health issues on the ground.Until we do a paradigm shift and forget that other people from abroard will come to solve our problems,we as africans are doomed.
On 6/1/2006 at 2:44 AM, DR Gideon Rukundo Rugari MD from Kampala, Uganda wrote:
I also work at Mulago Hospital Kampala Uganda, where i have been involved in managing HIV/AIDS patients and carrying out research particularly on Antiretroviral drugs therapy. There has been a great deal of improvement on the availability of these drugs and the knowledge of health workers to use them as well as public awareness since 1999 when, as a fresh graduate, i started administering them to my patients, however, the rural areas are still out of reach of most services available. Patient who have a problem raising transport fare, have to travel long distances to get these drugs at district referral hospitals. I know a number of patients from my own village at the border with Rwanda who are not taking these important drugs because they cannot find transport to get to the district Hospital which is about 40KM away. Nutrition is also a compounding problem, and makes HIV/AIDS progress quickly. There is a lot to talk about and i will be coming back to share my experience.Otherwise, i have like the pictures, because they tell a story in a more clearer manner than words would ever do - That is our Africa