User:SBanda/sandbox


 * 1) REDIRECT Maternal Healthcare System in Texas

Health in Uganda Revision
I plan to revise the "Health in Uganda" article, which is currently rated C-Class. I am hoping to improve it to Good Article Status. Currently, the article “Health in Uganda” has three overarching categories: health infrastructure, reproductive health, and gender based violence. When looking at a B-class article such as “Healthcare in the United States,” there are several detailed categories, such as spending, regulation, drug delivery, mental health, and health insurance. The “Health in Uganda” page lacks a discussion of these important features. While the healthcare system of Uganda may be less nuanced or have fewer sources pointing to these nuances, I still believe that additional categories could be added. Firstly, there is no mention of the ailments most prevalent in Uganda and treatments that could be provided. I believe a discussion of medical illnesses and socioeconomic health factors are crucial to any “Health in X Country” page and thus plan to make this addition. I also believe the Health Infrastructure section is lacking. The discussion of the structure of the health system is very brief and does not fully include the interactions between the private and public health sectors. The health system performance subsection could also be improved by additional discussion of factors that would improve the efficiency of the healthcare system. The “Healthcare in the United States” article compares the healthcare system in the US to that of other countries, and this comparison places the American healthcare system in context of the world and helps readers understand how it works. I believe a similar addition to the “Health in Uganda” section could aid readers in understanding the Ugandan system relative to other countries’. Additionally, the sources used for this section are mostly from WHO Global Health reports and there are fewer scholarly, research-based sources. I believe more scholarly sources would provide a greater in-depth analysis of the system. Other subsections in Health Infrastructure, such as how medical services are financed and what the medical workforce comprises are also vague and are not more than a few sentences in length. I would also like to add a section in the article about NGOs working in the region in cooperation with the government, since they are a significant component of how services get delivered, especially in rural areas. Lastly, I would also like to add a Mental Health section, since I believe it is an important indicator of health in any nation. The revised article “Health in Uganda” would thus provide readers with more elaborate and recent data and content that would allow them to understand health care system of Uganda. Below are a few of the sources I plan to draw from for the revisions.

Okuonzi, S. A., & Macrae, J. (1995). Whose policy is it anyway? International and national influences on health policy development in Uganda. Health policy and planning, 10(2), 122-132. Okunonzi & Macrae discuss the influences of different systems on health policy. They discuss the role of NGOs, how the government addressed policies and enforced them, and the barriers in creating sustainable change in the healthcare industry. These barriers include a shortage of healthcare workers, high prevalence of AIDS, and corruption in the government. This paper will be helpful in elaborating on the Health Structure subsection and detailing how policy works in Uganda.

Bossert, T. J., & Beauvais, J. C. (2002). Decentralization of health systems in Ghana, Zambia, Uganda and the Philippines: a comparative analysis of decision space. Health policy and planning, 17(1), 14-31. Bossert & Beauvais discuss the decentralization of healthcare in several developing countries, including Uganda. They concentrate on how decentralization has allowed space for new innovation and improvements and how it has led to differential growth around the country. They praise the room for NGOs such decentralization has created, and how this has also allowed for recovery after the Uganda civil war. This paper will be used in discussing the work NGOs have conducted in Uganda as well as adding to the Health Infrastructure government and elaborating on health reforms.

Lozano, R., Naghavi, M., Foreman, K., Lim, S., Shibuya, K., Aboyans, V., ... & AlMazroa, M. A. (2013). Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet, 380(9859), 2095-2128. Lozano's work will be helpful in creating the section on medical conditions and treatment. The three leading causes of death in Uganda are pneumonia, malaria, and HIV, and the way in which treatments are approached, from preventative care, screenings, and outpatient clinic visits to community-based interventions will be discussed. The paper discusses the burden of disease in the context of several developing countries, including Uganda. The case studies will further enlighten available information on certain medical conditions.

Abbo, C. (2009). Profiles and outcome of traditional healing practices for severe mental illnesses in two districts of Eastern Uganda. Institutionen för klinisk neurovetenskap/Department of Clinical Neuroscience. Mental illnesses are an area not actively attended to by developing countries. In Uganda especially, there is a powerful presence of traditional healers who dictate the culture of mental health. There will be a new section that will discuss the history behind these traditional healers and their approach to mental health as well as hospital-based mechanisms of preventing and providing relief. As in many nations, there is a stigma around mental health, but recently, the government has begun to launch campaigns to educate on mental health and increased healthcare-based outreach to populations. These campaigns will be addressed through these sections.

Matsiko, C. W., & Kiwanuka, J. (2003). A review of human resource for health in Uganda. Health Policy and Development, 1(1), 15-20. Currently, the Health Workforce is lacking in a discussion of how medical professionals in Uganda are trained and how exactly they are integrated into the healthcare system. Thus, a discussion of who become medical professionals, based on their education and employment opportunities and socioeconomic status, how they interact with other players of the medical system, and if they engage in community-based outreach will be added. The physician shortage, the lack of respect of nurses, and gaps in the medical education system are discussed in this paper and will be helpful in adding the Workforce section.