Ethiopia received recognition as one of sub-Saharan Africa’s models of primary care, due in part to training and deploying over 30,000 Health Extension Workers since 2004. Kevin Croke discusses factors enabling the country to implement the program at scale. … [Read more...] about The origins of Ethiopia’s primary health care expansion: The politics of state building and health system strengthening
Case studies
Understanding the importance of nonmaterial factors in retaining community health workers in low-income settings: a qualitative case-study in Ethiopia
Low- and middle-income countries sometimes experience challenges motivating and retaining CHWs. Nikita Arora and colleagues interviewed Ethiopian Health Extension Workers (HEW) to identify opportunities to improve retention policies. In addition to financial incentives, the researchers identified improvements in health facility infrastructure, provision of childcare, and … [Read more...] about Understanding the importance of nonmaterial factors in retaining community health workers in low-income settings: a qualitative case-study in Ethiopia
Establishing voluntary certification of community health workers in Arizona: a policy case study of building a unified workforce.
Promotoras de salud and community health representatives along the Arizona U.S.-Mexico border collaboratively developed CHW Voluntary Certification to improve the status, credibility, compensation, and standardization of CHWs. Implementation of this program required overcoming historical resistance from the state legislature toward creation of state-wide regulations. This case … [Read more...] about Establishing voluntary certification of community health workers in Arizona: a policy case study of building a unified workforce.
Supporting holistic care for patients with tuberculosis in a remote Indigenous community: a case report.
Tuberculosis in Australia has been eradicated in nearly all communities, with the exception of rare cases in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities. The rarity of this disease presents a challenge to the care of those with positive diagnoses, as local workers may be inexperienced and underprepared to address TB. Andrea Miller and colleagues report a case study … [Read more...] about Supporting holistic care for patients with tuberculosis in a remote Indigenous community: a case report.
Health for the People: National Community Health Worker Programs from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe
Edited by Henry B. Perry, the Health for the People: National Community Health Worker Programs from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe is a collection of CHW program data from 29 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, … [Read more...] about Health for the People: National Community Health Worker Programs from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe