FHS Nigeria Policy Brief 2 - Organizational and regulatory functions of the Nigerian Patent Medicine Vendor’s Association. How can it be used to improve malaria management?

A recent study in Nigeria by the Future Heath Systems (FHS) consortium identified patent medicine vendors (PMV) associations as having potential important roles to play in providing information, influencing PMV behaviour and procuring drugs, but the government knows very little about PMVs or their associations. As a way of bridging this gap, a team from the University of Ibadan undertook an exploratory study among the officers of Patent Medicine Vendors Association (PMVA) in Oyo State, Nigeria at the state, zonal and local government area (LGA) levels to explore the organizational and regulatory practices of the association in relation to the management of malaria, using an exploratory research design.

Click to read more ...

Lessons from the Chinese Approach to Health System Development

China is managing major health system reforms against a background of rapid economic and institutional change. In doing so it is developing a learning approach to transition management and institution-building. This approach includes testing innovations at local level, encouraging learning from success, and then gradually building institutions that support new ways of doing things. Chinese policymakers and analysts are also developing strategies for drawing on international experience. Analysts from other countries and officials in organisations that support international health need to understand this approach if they are to strengthen mutual learning with their Chinese counterparts.

Click to read more ...

Making health markets work for poor people

This issue of insights addresses different aspects of the characteristics of the markets for health-related goods and services and emerging approaches for improving their performance.

Click to read more ...

The role of misoprostol in making home births safer

The use of misoprostol to prevent maternal deaths at home, in the absence of emergency obstetric care, could prevent many deaths in developing countries and take us nearer the realisation of Millennium Development Goal 5.

Click to read more ...

FHS Uganda Research Brief 1 - Women’s Perceptions of ANC and delivery care Services, a community perspective

This study explores the factors and challenges experienced in utilizing ante-natal care (ANC) and choosing a delivery place in order to inform the implementation of a proposed intervention aimed at improving access to maternal delivery services.

Click to read more ...