The challenges for women’s health in sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons learned from an integrative multistakeholder workshop in Gabon

listen audio

Study Justification:
– The sub-Saharan African region has a significant population of women facing multiple health, social, gender, and economic challenges.
– Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) disproportionately affect women and girls in Africa.
– Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming a major health concern in low- and lower-middle-income countries, particularly for women.
– Disparities in access to maternal and reproductive health services persist in sub-Saharan Africa.
– The workshop aimed to develop a framework for interventions to address the NTD-NCD complex and reproductive health in a sustainable and gender-appropriate manner.
Highlights:
– An integrative, multistakeholder workshop was organized in Gabon to explore the effects of Schistosomiasis-associated pregnancy on vitamin D metabolism.
– Experts from Europe and Africa presented on the three key themes and tracer disease conditions.
– In-depth plenaries, round table discussions, and panel sessions facilitated knowledge exchange and collaboration.
– Practical teaching modules provided hands-on training for healthcare professionals and introduced digital health applications.
– The workshop promoted integration across academia, community, industry, and policy and governance sectors.
Recommendations:
– Develop synergistic interventions to address the NTD-NCD complex and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa.
– Strengthen research and knowledge on the three key themes and tracer disease conditions.
– Improve access to maternal and reproductive health services in sub-Saharan Africa.
– Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among stakeholders in the field of women’s health.
Key Role Players:
– Researchers and experts from Europe and Africa
– Healthcare professionals (midwives, nurses, gynaecologists)
– Policy makers and governance representatives
– Community leaders and advocates
– Industry representatives
Cost Items for Planning Recommendations:
– Research funding for studies on the NTD-NCD complex and reproductive health
– Training and capacity building for healthcare professionals
– Development and implementation of digital health applications
– Infrastructure and equipment for improved healthcare services
– Communication and awareness campaigns
– Collaboration and knowledge exchange initiatives

The strength of evidence for this abstract is 7 out of 10.
The evidence in the abstract is moderately strong. The abstract provides information on the challenges faced by women’s health in sub-Saharan Africa, including neglected tropical diseases, non-communicable diseases, and disparities in access to maternal and reproductive health services. It also mentions the outcomes of an integrative, multistakeholder workshop held in Gabon. However, the abstract lacks specific details about the workshop’s methodology, participants, and findings. To improve the evidence, the abstract could include more specific information about the workshop, such as the number and backgrounds of the participants, the methodology used, and the key findings and recommendations from the workshop.

The sub-Saharan African (SSA) region is home to more than 230 million females of reproductive age who face multiple intersecting health, social, gender and economic challenges [1]. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of chronic disabling, almost exclusively communicable diseases affecting the poorest of the poor, especially in Africa, which alone bears about 40% of the global burden of NTDs [2- 4]. While both men and women are impacted, biological and sociocultural biases mean that NTDs disproportionately affect women and girls [5]. In recent decades, there has been a global shift from communicable toward non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which cause almost 32 million deaths in low-and lower- middle- income countries (LMIC) [6]. It is expected that by 2030, 85% of NCD-related deaths among women will occur in LMICs, including many countries of SSA region [7]. For women older than 50, NCDs are the leading cause of both death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) [8]. Important disparities persist in access to maternal and reproductive health services both within and between countries in SSA [9]; it is estimated that almost half of the women in SSA do not have access to essential health care during pregnancy and childbirth. In 2017, SSA accounted for roughly two-thirds of all maternal deaths in the world [10]. Hence, it is evident that many, if not most, women and girls in SSA carry a triple burden of vulnerability to NTDs, NCDs and poor reproductive health outcomes. Here, we report on the outcomes of an integrative, multistakeholder workshop held in Gabon, Central Africa, to help develop a framework for synergistic, sustainable and gender- and context-appropriate interventions to manage the NTD-NCD complex and additionally reproductive health.

An integrative, multistakeholder workshop was organized in Gabon as an explorative method to investigate how such an approach across the three key themes (with the three tracer clinical conditions) could be mastered. More specifically, we aimed to: The workshop was designed and developed by the HelmVit consortium (funded by the DFG, with additional assistance from the DZIF) to explore the effects of Schistosomiasis-associated pregnancy on vitamin D metabolism. The coordination team was sited at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany in close collaboration with partners at the University of Tübingen (UKT), Germany and Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Gabon. An equitable representation of experts from from Europe (Germany, Switzerland and United Kingdom) and Africa (Gabon, Mozambique, Kenya and Cameroon) presented over the course of two-and-a half days. A detailed list of presenters is given in Appendix S1 in the Online Supplementary Document. Presentations given by international experts included an overview of the global and local picture in Gabon about the three key themes through their tracer disease-conditions, the current available epidemiological data and disease burden and the gaps in knowledge and research. Four sessions of in-depth plenaries covered the three key themes by lectures and open dialogue among participants via round tables and panel discussions. A general ‘women’s health’ plenary aimed to integrate expertise across the academic, community, industry and policy and governance spectrum. Two practical teaching modules allowed hands-on training for midwives, nurses and gynaecologists, and introduced innovative digital health applications for field diagnosis and awareness generation. A further collaborative session allowed all participants to generate reflections for knowledge exchange. A detailed agenda is reproduced in Appendix S2 in the Online Supplementary Document. The workshop was run in English to facilitate the full compendium of participants and researchers from diverse language backgrounds and contexts. However, since the operational language of the nurses and midwives was French, English-to-French translation facilitators were on hand for support. All English presentations were pre-translated into French and distributed as handouts to all participants. During the round-table sessions, in which participants discussed competencies, both French and English were supported options. The coordination team recorded all sessions in documentary and video format.

Based on the provided information, it is not clear what specific innovations were discussed or recommended during the workshop in Gabon. However, based on the context of improving access to maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa, here are some potential innovations that could be considered:

1. Telemedicine and digital health applications: Utilizing technology to provide remote access to healthcare services, including prenatal care, consultations, and health education, especially in remote or underserved areas.

2. Mobile clinics and outreach programs: Bringing healthcare services, including prenatal care and skilled birth attendance, directly to communities that have limited access to healthcare facilities.

3. Community health workers: Training and empowering community members to provide basic maternal healthcare services, including prenatal care, health education, and referrals to higher-level facilities when necessary.

4. Maternal health vouchers or conditional cash transfers: Providing financial incentives or subsidies to pregnant women to encourage them to seek and utilize maternal healthcare services.

5. Improving transportation infrastructure: Enhancing road networks and transportation systems to ensure that pregnant women can easily access healthcare facilities, especially in rural areas.

6. Strengthening health systems: Investing in healthcare infrastructure, equipment, and supplies, as well as training and retaining skilled healthcare professionals, to ensure quality maternal healthcare services are available and accessible.

7. Public-private partnerships: Collaborating with private sector organizations to improve access to maternal healthcare services, including through innovative financing models or technology solutions.

It is important to note that these are general recommendations and may need to be tailored to the specific context and challenges faced in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, further research and evaluation would be needed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of these innovations in improving access to maternal health.
AI Innovations Description
Based on the provided description, the recommendation to improve access to maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa is to develop and implement a framework for synergistic, sustainable, and gender- and context-appropriate interventions. This recommendation emerged from an integrative, multistakeholder workshop held in Gabon, Central Africa, which aimed to address the challenges faced by women in the region.

The workshop brought together experts from Europe and Africa to explore the effects of diseases such as Schistosomiasis on maternal health and vitamin D metabolism. The workshop included presentations, plenaries, round table discussions, and practical teaching modules. It also introduced innovative digital health applications for field diagnosis and awareness generation.

To implement this recommendation, key stakeholders, including governments, healthcare providers, researchers, and community organizations, should collaborate to develop a comprehensive framework. This framework should address the specific health challenges faced by women in sub-Saharan Africa, including neglected tropical diseases, non-communicable diseases, and disparities in access to maternal and reproductive health services.

The framework should prioritize sustainable interventions that are tailored to the local context and take into account the social, cultural, and economic factors that impact women’s health. It should also promote gender equity and ensure that women have equal access to quality healthcare services throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

Additionally, the framework should leverage digital health technologies to improve diagnosis, awareness, and access to healthcare services. This can include the use of mobile applications for remote consultations, health education, and tracking maternal health indicators.

By implementing this recommendation, it is expected that access to maternal health services in sub-Saharan Africa can be improved, leading to a reduction in maternal mortality and improved health outcomes for women and girls in the region.
AI Innovations Methodology
Based on the provided description, here are some potential recommendations for improving access to maternal health:

1. Strengthening healthcare infrastructure: Invest in building and upgrading healthcare facilities, particularly in rural areas, to ensure that women have access to quality maternal healthcare services.

2. Increasing healthcare workforce: Train and deploy more skilled healthcare professionals, such as midwives and nurses, to provide comprehensive maternal healthcare services, including prenatal care, safe delivery, and postnatal care.

3. Promoting community-based care: Implement community-based programs that educate and empower women and their families about maternal health, provide prenatal and postnatal care at the community level, and facilitate timely referrals to healthcare facilities when needed.

4. Enhancing transportation and logistics: Improve transportation systems and logistics to ensure that pregnant women can easily access healthcare facilities, especially in remote areas where transportation infrastructure is limited.

5. Strengthening health information systems: Develop and implement robust health information systems to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on maternal health indicators, enabling policymakers and healthcare providers to make evidence-based decisions and monitor progress.

To simulate the impact of these recommendations on improving access to maternal health, a methodology could include the following steps:

1. Data collection: Gather relevant data on the current state of maternal health access, including indicators such as maternal mortality rates, availability of healthcare facilities, healthcare workforce, transportation infrastructure, and health information systems.

2. Scenario development: Define different scenarios based on the recommendations, considering factors such as the scale of implementation, timeframes, and resource allocation. For example, scenarios could include different levels of investment in healthcare infrastructure or varying degrees of training and deployment of healthcare professionals.

3. Modeling and simulation: Use mathematical modeling techniques to simulate the impact of each scenario on key maternal health indicators. This could involve estimating changes in maternal mortality rates, improvements in access to prenatal and postnatal care, and reductions in transportation barriers, among other factors.

4. Sensitivity analysis: Conduct sensitivity analysis to assess the robustness of the results and identify key factors that influence the impact of the recommendations. This could involve varying input parameters, such as the effectiveness of interventions or the population size, to understand the range of potential outcomes.

5. Evaluation and decision-making: Evaluate the simulated impact of each scenario and compare the results to determine the most effective and feasible recommendations for improving access to maternal health. This information can then be used to inform decision-making and prioritize interventions.

It’s important to note that the specific methodology for simulating the impact of recommendations on improving access to maternal health may vary depending on the available data, resources, and expertise.

Share this:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email