BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmj.39371.586076.80, (Published 22 October 2007)

Editorials

Equitable access to health care

We have adequate evidence to improve health services now in less resourced countries

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

As the world grapples with the problems of poverty and ill health, most people would agree that urgent action is needed to reduce the unacceptably high number of deaths of children living in resource constrained countries.¹ Three studies on bmj.com provide evidence to improve health services in less resourced countries.^{2 3 4} The first study, by Biai and colleagues, is a randomised controlled trial from Guinea Bissau in West Africa. They show that supervising healthcare workers to adhere to standard treatment protocols reduces mortality in children admitted to hospital with severe malaria.² This may not seem surprising. What is surprising, though, and of major policy importance, is that a key part of this effective intervention was to provide a small financial incentive to health workers (equivalent to one month's rent).

Many agencies, including governments in countries in sub-Saharan Africa with less resources, have been reluctant to give financial incentives to their staff. . . . [Full text of this article]

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University Medical School, PO Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

What about the needs of health workers in developing countries?

Neil Pakenham-Walsh
BMJ 2007 335: 954. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Make health inequality history

Trish Groves
BMJ 2007 335: 0. [Extract] [Full Text]

Reduced in-hospital mortality after improved management of children under 5 years admitted to hospital with malaria: randomised trial

Sidu Biai, Amabelia Rodrigues, Melba Gomes, Isabela Ribeiro, Morten Sodemann, Fernanda Alves, and Peter Aaby
BMJ 2007 335: 862. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

The global impact of income inequality on health by age: an observational study

Danny Dorling, Richard Mitchell, and Jamie Pearce
BMJ 2007 335: 873. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Impact of insurance and supply of health professionals on coverage of treatment for hypertension in Mexico: population based study

Sara N Bleich, David M Cutler, Alyce S Adams, Rafael Lozano, and Christopher J L Murray
BMJ 2007 335: 875. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Confronting Africa's health crisis: more of the same will not be enough

D M Sanders, C Todd, and M Chopra
BMJ 2005 331: 755-758. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Ncayiyana, D. J (2007). Combating poverty: the charade of development aid. BMJ 335: 1272-1273 [Full text]  
• Pakenham-Walsh, N. (2007). What about the needs of health workers in developing countries?. BMJ 335: 954-954 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Finally we recognise an important issue

Christopher Buttery
bmj.com, 26 Oct 2007 [Full text]

Health Care and Demography in Sub-Saharan Africa

James G Danaher
bmj.com, 28 Oct 2007 [Full text]

Sanitation

Edoardo Cervoni
bmj.com, 2 Nov 2007 [Full text]

Access to pain relief - an essential human right

Vanessa Adams
bmj.com, 2 Nov 2007 [Full text]