Human resources for public health management in Moldova: cooperation, mentoring and challenges

Școala de Management în Sănătate Publică din Moldova își serbează cea de-a 10 aniversare. Această școală a fost fondată în anul 2004, având misiunea de a promova dezvoltarea capacităților, cercetărilor și politicilor de reforme în sănătate pentru a face față provocărilor din noul secol. Institutul pentru o Societate Deschisă a fost acel, care a sponsorizat instruirea de către specialiștii internaționali din domeniul sănătății publice, deopotrivă cu acordarea burselor specialiștilor autohtoni pentru studiile de master în sănătate publică, în cadrul unui program internațional la Școala Braun de Sănătate Publică. Instruirea cadrului didactic din Moldova a continuat printrun program de schimb, realizat și coordonat de Școala Braun de Sănătate Publică, oferind participanților din mai multe țări posibilitatea să cunoască organizarea, curriculum-ul şi metodele de instruire moderne ale programului de Management în Sănătate Publică. Specialiștii din Moldova au participat și la școlile de vară, care s-au desfășurat ani la rând în Rusia, cu participarea specialiștilor de la Școala Braun de Sănătate Publică. În 2012, Organizația Mondială a Sănătății (oficiul din Moldova) a sponsorizat un program de cooperare pentru promovarea instruirii specialiștilor din domeniul sănătății publice din toată țara în controlul Bolilor Non-Transmisibile (BNT) la Școala Braun de Sănătate Publică. Un seminar, desfășurat timp de 10 zile, în care a fost elaborat un manual în BNT, cu toate informațiile necesare, menit să servească drept ghid de instruire pentru participanții din Moldova, urmat, ulterior, de un program național de instruire în măsurile de control al BNT în toată țara. Moldova are o speranţă de viață la naștere mai scurtă cu 12 ani comparativ cu Franța și Israel. Aceasta se datorează, în special, ratei foarte mari a mortalității cauzate de boala ischemică a cordului, accidentelor cerebro-vasculare, patologiilor hepatice și cancerului de col uterin – patologii care pot fi prevenite. Moldova poate soluționa acestea probleme prin sporirea standardelor și priorităților în sănătate publică. Provocările din domeniul sănătății și ale calității vieții în Moldova rămân, deocamdată, foarte mari.The Moldovan school of public health is now celebrating its tenth anniversary. It was founded in 2004 with the mission to promote development of the human resources, research and policies for health reform to meet the health challenges in the new century. The Open Society Institute sponsored mentoring by international public health scholars, along with scholarships for training Moldovans to the master of public health level in a well-established international program at the Braun School of Public Health. In addition, Moldovan faculty development was fostered by a series of Visiting Faculty Programs conducted at the Braun SPH enabling teaching faculty members from many countries to observe and understand the organization, curriculum and teaching methods of a modern MPH program. Moldovans also attended summer schools held annually in Russia for many years with faculty from the Braun SPH participating. In 2012, World Health Organization in Moldova sponsored a cooperative program to promote education of public health workers across Moldova in control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at the Braun SPH. A 10 days’ Workshop with preparation of an NCD Reader of background information meant to serve as a teaching guide for the Moldovan participants followed by a national program of training trainers in NCD control measures across the country. Moldova has shorter life expectancy by 12 years as compared to western countries, such as France and Israel. This is especially due to very high rates of mortality from coronary heart disease, stroke, liver disease and cancer of cervix, diseases amenable to prevention. Moldova can address these by raising standards and priorities of public health. The challenges for health and quality of life for Moldovans remain very great

Correction to: micronutrient deficiency conditions: Global Health issues

Abstract In the original publication of this article [1] Table 1 contained an error in 1 cell entry. In this correction the correct and incorrect cell are shown. The full table is available in the original article [1]

The Key Role of Government in Addressing the Pandemic of Micronutrient Deficiency Conditions in Southeast Asia

Micronutrient deficiency conditions are a major global public health problem. While the private sector has an important role in addressing this problem, the main responsibility lies with national governments, in cooperation with international agencies and donors. Mandatory fortification of basic foods provides a basic necessary intake for the majority and needs to be supported by provision of essential vitamin and mineral supplements for mothers and children and other high risk groups. Fortification by government mandate and regulation is essential with cooperation by private sector food manufacturers, and in the context of broader policies for poverty reduction, education and agricultural reform. Iron, iodine, vitamin A, vitamin B complex, folic acid, zinc, vitamin D and vitamin B12 are prime examples of international fortification experience achieved by proactive governmental nutrition policies. These are essential to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and their follow-up sustainable global health targets. National governmental policies for nutritional security and initiatives are essential to implement both food fortification and targeted supplementation policies to reduce the huge burden of micronutrient deficiency conditions in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world

Is level of knowledge, attitude and use of folic acid among pregnant women in Croatia a call for public health action?

Aim: Knowledge, attitudes and practices of Croatian women regarding use of folic acid (FA) before and during pregnancy are assessed. Croatia has no current official recommendations for folic acid use for women who are planning pregnancy or are already pregnant, and there is no fortification of staple foods with FA. Methods. Sample consisted of women who delivered at the Clinical Hospital Center Petrova, and a County hospital in Po`ega, They were interviewed by trained medical technician or nurse about their knowledge, believes and use of FA. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression and the χ2 test. Also we searched the market for availability of food supplements containing FA. Results: Among 603 women, 432 (71.7%) planned the current pregnancy, 306 (50.7%) did not take any vitamin supplement; 170 (28.2%) took some multivitamin supplements, and only 127 (21.1%) took FA supplements. Of those who have taken supplements, 58 (19.5%) decided to take FA on their own, 64 (21.5%) based on recommendations from a physician and several mentioned other sources (nurse, pharmacists, family member or media). In total 287 (47.6%) did not know what FA is. Logistic regression analysis showed that planned pregnancy is the strongest positive predictor for taking FA, while smoking and number of pregnancies are negative predictors. Conclusion. Awareness of FA role and its requirements before and during pregnancy is low among interviewed women. Better education for, both, women and health care professionals, as well as need for fortification of some staple food are recognized as important public health priorities in Croatia

Is level of knowledge, attitude and use of folic acid among pregnant women in Croatia a call for public health action?

Aim: Knowledge, attitudes and practices of Croatian women regarding use of folic acid (FA) before and during pregnancy are assessed. Croatia has no current official recommendations for folic acid use for women who are planning pregnancy or are already pregnant, and there is no fortification of staple foods with FA. Methods. Sample consisted of women who delivered at the Clinical Hospital Center Petrova, and a County hospital in Po`ega, They were interviewed by trained medical technician or nurse about their knowledge, believes and use of FA. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression and the χ2 test. Also we searched the market for availability of food supplements containing FA. Results: Among 603 women, 432 (71.7%) planned the current pregnancy, 306 (50.7%) did not take any vitamin supplement; 170 (28.2%) took some multivitamin supplements, and only 127 (21.1%) took FA supplements. Of those who have taken supplements, 58 (19.5%) decided to take FA on their own, 64 (21.5%) based on recommendations from a physician and several mentioned other sources (nurse, pharmacists, family member or media). In total 287 (47.6%) did not know what FA is. Logistic regression analysis showed that planned pregnancy is the strongest positive predictor for taking FA, while smoking and number of pregnancies are negative predictors. Conclusion. Awareness of FA role and its requirements before and during pregnancy is low among interviewed women. Better education for, both, women and health care professionals, as well as need for fortification of some staple food are recognized as important public health priorities in Croatia