Browsing by Author "Fonn, Sharon"

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    Curriculum and training needs of mid-level health workers in Africa: a situational review from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda
    (BMC health services research, 2018) Couper, Ian; Ray, Sunanda; Blaauw, Duane; Ng’wena, Gideon; Muchiri, Lucy; Oyungu, Eren; Omigbodun, Akinyinka; Morhason-Bello, Imran; Ibingira, Charles; Tumwine, James; Conco, Daphney; Fonn, Sharon
    Africa’s health systems rely on services provided by mid-level health workers (MLWs). Investment in their training is worthwhile since they are more likely to be retained in underserved areas, require shorter training courses and are less dependent on technology and investigations in their clinical practice than physicians. Their training programs and curricula need up-dating to be relevant to their practice and to reflect advances in health professional education. This study was conducted to review the training and curricula of MLWs in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda, to ascertain areas for improvement.
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    Repositioning Africa in global knowledge production
    (The Lancet, 2018) Fonn, Sharon; Cotton, Philip; Habib, Adam; Mbithi, Peter Mulwa Felix; Mtenje, Alfred; Nawangwe, Barnabas; Ogunbodede, Eyitope O; Olayinka, Idowu; Golooba-Mutebi, Frederick; Ezeh, Alex
    Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 13·5% of the global population but less than 1% of global research output. In 2008, Africa produced 27 000 published papers—the same number as The Netherlands. Informed by a nuanced understanding of the causes of the current scenario, we propose action that should be taken by African universities, governments, and development partners to foster the development of research-active universities on the continent.
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    Youth underrepresentation as a barrier to sexual and reproductive healthcare access in Kasulu district, Tanzania: A qualitative thematic analysis
    (International journal of public health, 2020) Shumbusho Damian, Respicius; Zakumumpa, Henry; Fonn, Sharon
    Representation of the key groups in community-level healthcare decisions is a prerequisite for accountable and responsive primary healthcare systems. However, meaningful representation requires both the presence of individuals who represent the key community groups and their capacity to influence the key healthcare plans and decisions. Our study explored how the underrepresentation of the youth in health facility committees, the decentralized community- and facilitylevel healthcare decision-making forums affects youth access to sexual and reproductive health services. Methods A multisite case study involving focus group discussions, interviews, and meeting observation was conducted in eight primary healthcare facilities in Kasulu, a rural district in Tanzania. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify the key emerging themes. Results Five major themes were identified in connection with youth underrepresentation and limited access to sexual reproductive health as a ‘taboo’ phenomenon in the communities. These were: numbers do not matter, passive representation, sociopolitical gerontocracy, economic vulnerability, and mistrust and suspicion. Conclusions Gradual emancipatory and transformative efforts are needed to normalize the representation of the youth and their concerns in formal community-level decision-making institutions.