Village Health Teams(VHT's) & the Attainment of Health MDG's in Uganda

ISBN-13: 9783639359602 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 128 str.

Tumwebaze Mathias

Opis

Uganda adopted the Village Health Teams (VHTs) strategy in 2001 as an entry point to health interventions at community level. VHTs mobilize community members for better health, foster positive health seeking behavior & reduce geographical inaccessibility by bringing PHC services nearer to the community. Selected by people themselves to deliver basic Health Care services, VHTs promote services that lead to improved child health, maternal Health, HIV/AIDS, malaria control & improved sanitation. Although World Bank studies showed that, low income countries are unlikely to attain MDGs by 2015, Ugandas VHTs strategy seems to have changed this thinking. Studies in Kabarole showed that, VHTs promoted immunization 90%, Child Health Days 81% mobilized pregnant mothers for ANC 89%, mobilized mothers to deliver in health facilities 79%, promoted HIV testing services 83%, & good sanitation 63%. VHT strategy hence becomes Ugandas most cost effective strategy to the attainment of Health MDGs (4, 5, 6 and 7). This evidence based book therefore, serves to motivate policy makers in developing countries to adopt Ugandas VHT strategy so as to meet the 2000 UN summit resolutions by 2015.

O autorze

Tumwebaze Mathias. PhD in Public Health Lecturer in the school of Health sciences at Mountains of the Moon University, Fort Portal Uganda. He also works as a coordinator for Health Systems strengthening Project in the DHO's office Kabarole District Uganda,