African problems need African solutions; the crucial role of community level partnership-working

  Much has been written in global health research about the need for meaningful North-South partnerships where problems are identified, and solutions devised and tested by those who live, love, and work in the communities where these problems exist. In this blog we provide a window into the story of a robust partnership as a […]

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The incubator for success: how mentorship and career development can boost Nigeria’s public health sector

  In March 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an  alarming report that highlights the pressing health workforce challenges faced by several countries worldwide, with Nigeria being one of the most affected. The report sheds light on the country’s declining number of health workers despite its poor health indices, high burden of infectious diseases, […]

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Faith leaders in the fight against the pandemic

  A 2020 study by Afrobarometer revealed that across 34 countries in Africa, faith leaders are more widely trusted than any other public leaders. According to another survey by Pew Research Center, American adults who regularly attend religious services said they would trust their clergy’s advice on vaccines. Faith leaders, in general, command great respect […]

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Hand in hand with traditional healers: benefits and challenges

  The shaman and I alternate. He circles the mother in labour, burning plants and ringing bells to release the negative energy in the room. When contractions start, it is our turn: and eventually together we deliver the baby. Traditional healers are indispensable to indigenous communities in Indonesia. Even in severe medical cases, many patients […]

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Transformative action with and for children and youth in street situations

  As stakeholders, researchers, and young people with lived experience on the streets who have been participants in and beneficiaries of research and members of research teams, we believe in and support the critical role research plays in enabling evidence-based decision-making to transform the health and social and economic well-being of children and youth in […]

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Visa discrimination: moving beyond global health

  Visa discrimination has recently become a major topic in global health circles. This is following a spate of discriminatory policies in 2022, which specifically targeted African health professionals being denied visas to global health conferences in the Global North. A recent article in BMJ detailed such cases leading to greater calls for hosting such […]

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Resurrecting a lost obstetric skill to reduce global maternal death

  The incidence of having a baby in the bottom-down (“breech”) position at the end of pregnancy is about 1 in 25.  The “Term Breech Trial” (TBT) is a landmark randomised controlled trial that changed the management of breech birth since its publication in 2000.  It concluded that a planned Caesarean birth is safer for […]

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