BURUNDI ARCHIVES: POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK PPT

The paper discusses the situation at Burundi Archives in modern society, its role, development and future. It provides an overview of the current socio-political and economic environment after four decades of civil war that prevailed in Burundi, as is well known, at periods from independence in 1962 to the present. Recent research findings regarding current record keeping initiatives in the public and private sector in Burundi and their effect on service delivery are presented. Included is the recent project initiated by the International Records Management Trust through its East Africa regional research project conducted by archivists and records managers on “Aligning records management with e-Government/Information Communication Technology and freedom of information in East Africa”. The key characteristics of economic advancement in Africa are transparency, responsibility, accountability, participation of all the people, both men and women, and responsiveness to the peoples’ needs. The general intention behind this paper is to present the legal and policy framework regarding freedom of information, ICT and e-Government initiatives and national plans, records management and archives issues. Nowadays, development is to a large extent achieved through the documentation of decision processes and actions, and by making the resulting documentation accessible to the citizens. This presentation will provide an opportunity to describe key government bodies, their mandate, structure, staffing, training and role in preserving the memory of society, through, for example, the creation, management and dissemination of trustworthy records, which will further be referred to as record-keeping. The paper concludes by positing that Burundi archives are underutilized as information sources. This is partly due to professional problems like lack of recognition of archives by governments, obsolete legislation, lack of professional training and advocacy, inadequate service, and inadequate or non-existent access tools. Another factor is lack of appropriate hardware and software and user-friendly systems, lack of knowledge using information technology, costs, and the vulnerability of digital information. Finally, the paper will discuss the challenge of record-keeping and some of opportunities in the digital society

ABSTRACTS OF PRESENTATIONS

Second International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives, abstracts of presentation

Newborn follow-up after discharge from a tertiary care hospital in the Western Cape region of South Africa: a prospective observational cohort study

Abstract Background Current practice in the Western Cape region of South Africa is to discharge newborns born in-hospital within 24 h following uncomplicated vaginal delivery and two days after caesarean section. Mothers are instructed to bring their newborn to a clinic after discharge for a health assessment. We sought to determine the rate of newborn follow-up visits and the potential barriers to timely follow-up. Methods Mother-newborn dyads at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa were enrolled from November 2014 to April 2015. Demographic data were obtained via questionnaire and medical records. Mothers were contacted one week after discharge to determine if they had brought their newborns for a follow-up visit, and if not, the barriers to follow-up. Factors associated with follow-up were analyzed using logistic regression. Results Of 972 newborns, 794 (82%) were seen at a clinic for a follow-up visit within one week of discharge. Mothers with a higher education level or whose newborns were less than 37 weeks were more likely to follow up. The follow-up rate did not differ based on hospital length of stay. Main reported barriers to follow-up included maternal illness, lack of money for transportation, and mother felt follow-up was unnecessary because newborn was healthy. Conclusions Nearly 4 in 5 newborns were seen at a clinic within one week after hospital discharge, in keeping with local practice guidelines. Further research on the outcomes of this population and those who fail to follow up is needed to determine the impact of postnatal healthcare policy

The Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission: bridging a gap in universal health coverage for the poorest billion

For the poorest of our world, non-communicable diseases and injuries (NCDIs) account for more than a third of their burden of disease; this burden includes almost 800000 deaths annually among those aged younger than 40 years, more than HIV, tuberculosis, and maternal deaths combined. • Despite already living in abject poverty, between 19 million and 50 million of the poorest billion spend a catastrophic amount of money each year in direct out-of-pocket costs on health care as a result of NCDIs. • Progressive implementation of affordable, cost-effective, and equitable NCDI interventions between 2020 and 2030 could save the lives of more than 4·6 million of the world’s poorest, including 1·3 million who would otherwise die before the age of 40 years. • To avoid needless death and suffering, and to reduce the risk of catastrophic health spending, essential NCDI services must be financed through pooled, public resources, either from increased domestic funding or external funds. • National governments should set and adjust priorities based on the best available local data on NCDIs and the specific needs of the worst off. • International development assistance for health should be augmented and targeted to ensure that the poorest families affected by NCDIs are included in progress towards universal health care