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Objective: In Africa, mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is projected to overtake the combined mortality from communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases by 2030. To address this growing NCD burden, primary health care (PHC) systems will require substantial re-orientation. In this study, we reviewed the progress of African countries towards integrating essential NCD services into PHC. Methods: A review of World Health Organization (WHO) reports was conducted for all 47 countries in the WHO African Region. To report each country's progress, we used an a priori framework developed by the WHO regional office for Africa (AFRO). Twelve indicators were used to measure countries' progress. The proportion of countries meeting each indicator was tabulated using a heat map. Correlation between country income status and attainment of each indicator was also assessed. Findings: No country met all the recommended indicators to integrate NCD services into PHC and seven countries met none of the indicators. Few countries (30%) had nationally approved guidelines for NCD management and very few reported availabilities of all essential NCD medicines (13%) and technologies (11%) in PHC facilities. There was no overall correlation between a country's GDP per capita and the aggregate of targets being met (rho = 0.23; P =.12). There was, however, a modestly negative correlation between out-of-pocket expenditure and overall country progress (rho = -0.58; P <.001). Conclusion: Progress by AFRO Member States in integrating NCD care into PHC is variable across the region. Enhanced government commitment and judicious resource allocation to prioritize NCDs are needed. Particular areas of focus include increasing the uptake of simplified guidelines for NCDs; increasing workforce capacity to manage NCDs; and removing access barriers to essential medicines and basic diagnostic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International scholarships for higher education are a large component of foreign aid in many high-income countries, including Australia. The aims for Australian scholarships awarded to African students are to achieve development in Africa and advance the influence of Australia. However, well-articulated theories of change that define how scholarships are linked to these and other outcomes are not available in the literature. In order to address this gap, the authors explore the perspectives of Australian-funded Master's-level alumni from Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique on the implementation process before, during and after their scholarship award, and the outcomes of the scholarships. The authors found that Australian scholarships to Africans have the potential to spread Australian influence, and that returnee scholars, by virtue of their study in Australia, gain the capacity to become agents for development in their country. The process of choosing scholarship awardees, the local circumstances in each country on return, and support and mentoring networks after return can influence the achievement of these outcomes. Investments in international scholarships should be directed to develop additional skills and facilitate networks in order to further prepare the returnee scholars to influence development in their country and perpetuate Australian influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need of the needs of biomedical science training in Africa. To conduct the survey of the region, a total of 107 young scientists were recruited through existing international networks and interviewed via a web-based program, on the current status of biomedical research in their different institutions. Information on the obstacles for biomedical science research which include the lack of infrastructure and financial support from government is presented.

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Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has had more major armed conflicts (wars) in the past two decades - including 13 wars during 1990-2015 - than any other part of the world, and this has had an adverse effect on health systems in the region. Objective: To understand the best health system practices in five SSA countries that experienced wars during 1990-2015, and yet managed to achieve a maternal mortality reduction - equal to or greater than 50% during the same period - according to the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG). Maternal mortality is a death of a woman during pregnancy, or within 42 days after childbirth - measured as maternal mortality ratio (MMR) per 100,000 live births. Design: We conducted a selective literature review based on a framework that drew upon the World Health Organisation's (WHO) six health system building blocks. We searched seven databases, Google Scholar as well as conducting a manual search of sources in articles' reference lists - restricting our search to articles published in English. We searched for terms related to maternal healthcare, the WHO six health system building blocks, and names of the five countries. Results: Our study showed three general health system reforms across all five countries that could explain MMR reduction: health systems decentralisation, the innovation related to the WHO workforce health system building block such as training of community healthcare workers, and governments-financing reforms. Conclusion: Restoring health systems after disasters is an urgent concern, especially in countries that have experienced wars. Our findings provide insight from five war-affected SSA countries which could inform policy. However, since few studies have been conducted concerning this topic, our findings require further research to inform policy, and to help countries rebuild and maintain their health systems resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the author discusses the barriers to primary health-care services for noncommunicable diseases in the African region as of December 2020. Other topics include the World Health Organization Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (WHO PEN), the priority conditions of the program like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as other topics like resource mobilization, advocacy, and engagement with multisectoral stakeholders.