This module is specifically developed to equip healthcare professionals such as pharmacists, doctors and nurses with the necessary skills to improve rational medicines use. It will be of value to members of Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees, Masters of Public Health students and staff working in pharmacy and health departments in South Africa and other African countries. Additional online modules focusing on Pharmaceutical Public Health will be available in 2016. The module covers rational medicines use and problems associated with irrational medicine use; medicines use problems using several quantitative methods; qualitative methods to investigate prescribing behaviour and medicine use; promotion of rational medicine use including educational, managerial, economic and regulatory interventions; medicines Use evaluation and its application to programmes; essential medicines concept and the development of Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines Lists using evidence-based decision making principles; infection control and antimicrobial resistance and pharmacy and therapeutics committees.
Useful Resources
Since achieving independence in 1975, Mozambique is a country in constant change. In this context, governments, foundations, NGOs and companies declare noble intentions in order to improve the precarious health situation of the population. "A Luta Continua" ("The Struggle Continues") is a film that reviews the achievements, challenges and difficulties in order to build a health system for all in an increasingly unequal country where, sometimes, aid strategies do not always walk in the same direction.
These materials are aimed at trainers and facilitators conducting workshops for people interested in using budgets as a tool to enhance advocacy and research. The series’ provide guidance on how to run workshops on budget-related topics as well as relevant materials and tasks for the workshop. IBP uses an adult education approach in participatory workshops and rely on good preparation by the facilitator and strong interaction and reflection by participants.
Information and knowledge have become critical determinants of development and the driving forces behind economic progress in today's competitive world. Access to credible information is a strategic prerequisite for the success of development projects and processes. It empowers decision-making and enables action across a wide range of development issues. This directory highlights the activities of organisations involved in development work in South Africa.
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has published statistics on perinatal deaths based on administrative records captured on death notification forms collected from the South African civil registration system maintained by the Department of Home Affairs.
This series of information sheets introduces health literacy, its relevance to public policy, and the ways it can be used to inform the promotion of good health, the prevention and management of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and the reduction of health inequities. It provides information and links to further resources to assist organisations and governments to incorporate health literacy responses into practice, service delivery systems, and policy. It seeks to governments, politicians and policy makers; academic institutions; public, civil society, and non-governmental organisations; and practitioners; relevant private sectors promoting health and well-being; communities, community-based organisations and social networks; WHO and other UN partners and development organisations.
Health System Trust announces the first edition of the SA SURE Project’s Stories of Change – a quarterly publication presenting case stories that describe how SA SURE Project teams partner with Health Department personnel to apply policy in contextual practice in facilities across the country, and thus achieve sustainable responses to HIV, AIDS and TB. They share these stories to convey the beginnings of good practice: interesting experiences of how key challenges are being addressed using various tools, enterprise and connection to support service quality improvement at clinic level.
World AIDS Day is commemorated each year on the 1st of December and is an opportunity for every community to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with HIV and remember those who have died. The UNAIDS World AIDS Day theme for 2011 to 2015 is: “Getting to Zero”. This year, South Africa will focus on ZERO DISCRIMINATION, without losing sight of the other ‘zeroes’, Zero new HIV infections; and Zero AIDS related deaths. A group of HIV-positive people have told their stories and experiences of stigma and discrimination. These are not stories of despair and hopelessness, but stories of courage and hope, and tell of how key people in their lives helped them to overcome challenges. These stories have been captured on video, in photographs and in text. They are available free of charge on the SANAC website for civil society, the private sector, media and others to use in their World AIDS Day campaigns.
While global inequality has become even more intense since this it was made, this short 4 minute video has some quick visuals on global inequalities in wealth.
The School of Public Health and Family Medicine hosted a seminar and panel discussion, "Knowledge, Equity and Health in post-Apartheid South Africa...What's Race got to do with it?" on 1 August 2013. The guest speaker was Professor Lundy Braun from Browns University, USA. As part of its on-going programme on transformation, Professor Mohamed Jeebhay, head of the School of Public Health and Family Medicine the School of Public Health and Family Medicine invited Professor Braun to draw on her own research in reflecting on the topic. The panellists included Professor Raj Ramesar (human genetics), Glenda Wildschut (Transformation Services Office), Dr Sophia Kisting-Cairncross.