Health facilities roles in measuring progress of universal health coverage

Outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 3.8, universal health coverage (UHC) ensures all people can access affordable and equitable essential health services without facing economic challenges. Advised by the World Health Organization (WHO), countries can strengthen their health systems and subsequently UHC by establishing a robust health system on a framework of service delivery; health workforce; information; medical products, vaccines and technologies; financing; and leadership and governance. By achieving UHC, countries progress in other health-related goals and provide for healthier children, a stronger workforce and long-term economic development. As announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2011, Bangladesh has remained committed towards UHC through the implementation of programs that increase availability and financial accessibility of essential health services. To produce information regarding their contribution to UHC and specifically the work of its health facilities, Bangladesh produced the 2017 Bangladesh health facilities survey (BHFS). Based on a qualitative analysis, the 2017 BHFS provides substantial information regarding the presence of essential services within different facilities and locations. However, the survey inadequately addresses other components that contribute to availability and accessibility of services, including utilization, patient load, quality of care and financial burden. Subsequently, the 2017 BHFS does not provide a comprehensive evaluation of their health facilities and their contribution to UHC. Arguably, a future survey must address these topics and incorporate a multidisciplinary approach to successfully implement UHC. This approach would incorporate multidisciplinary stakeholders including economists, public health figures and politicians to address challenges such as financial burden, public distrust, and qualified training of providers

Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition. Case studies

The Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition study is a partnership between the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The overarching goal of the Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition study is to review the evidence and propose an analytical and operational framework. The study seeks to strengthen the positive impacts of social protection interventions in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region on nutritional outcomes, by building a robust evidence-base methodology focused on ‘what works’, ‘how’ and ‘why’, to contribute to enhanced wellbeing in the region. In this context, one of the objectives of the study is to unpack the impact pathways by jointly exploring design and implementation features of different social protection instruments and to identify barriers and enablers that hinder or facilitate positive nutritional outcomes in the short to long run. The case studies will contribute to explore the social protection pathways and their constraints, strengths, and challenges in relation to nutrition or food security

Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition. Synthesis report

This report summarises and synthesises the outcomes of a project designed to improve nutritional outcomes that can be achieved through social protection systems in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. It has a particular focus on systems integration and the need to shift from the traditional focus on undernutrition to malnutrition in all its forms (i.e., undernutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, combined with the growing prevalence of overweight and obesity, sometimes referred to as the ‘double burden’). It provides a policy and operational roadmap for stakeholders seeking to improve the performance of social protection systems within LAC countries; particularly with a view to reducing vulnerabilities and improving nutritional outcomes throughout the life course

Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition: Rapid evidence review

The Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition Study is a partnership between the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and World Food Programme (WFP), funded by WFP. The overarching goal of the Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition study is to review the evidence and propose an analytical and operational framework with the different pathways to nutrition identified, with a focus on multiple indicators of malnutrition, linking social protection with health and food systems. It seeks to strengthen the positive impacts of social protection interventions in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region on diet and nutritional status outcomes, by building a robust evidence-base focused on ‘what works’, ‘how’ and ‘why’, to contribute to enhanced wellbeing in the region