At the Source of Health Care, Health Workers

Carol Bales — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 20:53:51 +0000

This post was originally published on VITAL, the blog of IntraHealth International.

Malik Jaffer is the deputy director of human resources for health and health systems strengthening for the IntraHealth International-led CapacityPlus project. I recently interviewed him about health worker heroes and what it’ll take to make more of them.

You’ve met a lot of amazing health workers over the past 20 years. Any who really inspired you?
Absolutely. For example, there’s a team of health workers in Soweto, South Africa, that work in a hospice. When I visited, the facility was full of men and women and a lot of children. I remember one baby that was suffering from AIDS. She looked about three months old and weighed only 10 or 12 pounds. She was tiny. But I came to find out she was a year old.

Author's name:

Carol Bales with Malik Jaffer

Publication Date:

December 2013

Three Answers for Walking Faster and Reaching Farther in Our Response to AIDS

Carol Bales — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 13:16:03 +0000

Last week I participated in Walking Faster and Reaching Farther: Strengthening Public Sector-NGO Partnerships in the AIDS Response, the final discussion in a four-part series on capacity development and country ownership hosted by AIDSTAR-Two.

This topic is very timely. Many local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) around the world depend on the Global Fund, PEPFAR, and other donor money to respond to HIV and support people living with the virus. But with diminishing donor funds expected, the funding base of these organizations is unstable. In many cases, they are not closely aligned with the Ministry of Health or other public-sector entities, and their relationships need strengthening. There are, however, some examples of local CSOs and NGOs working closely with the public sector, as well as examples of what it takes to strengthen both sectors to work together productively to assure an appropriate HIV response. Further strengthening of these partnerships is critical.

Author's name:

Malik Jaffer

Publication Date:

July 2013