CHORUS Presentation: Initial findings from needs assessments in Nepal and Nigeria
Members of the CHORUS team presented initial needs assessment findings from the projects in Nigeria and Nepal to the FCDO Health Network Technical Meeting on 22 September 2022.
The presentation included a brief introduction on CHORUS, and the initial needs assessment findings in both CHORUS counties.
Paper: Conceptual framework for systemic capacity strengthening for health policy and systems research
Capacity strengthening in global health has often been understood as a responsibility of those based in high-income countries (HICs) as part of their partnership arrangements with those based in LMICs. For example, encouraged by funders, principal investigators of international projects who are based in HICs may assume responsibility for capacity strengthening of LMIC-based collaborators, with…
CHORUS Paper: Strengths, disconnects and lessons in local and central governance of the response to the first wave of COVID-19 in Ghana
Despite the high commitment of the government of Ghana to a whole of government and a whole of society approach, and many strengths such as high-quality staff and established plans, local governance of the pandemic was challenged in several ways. Some of these challenges, such as incomplete decentralisation, slow funds transfer, and poor equipping of health facilities, reflect pre-existing governance and logistical challenges and reinforce the need to address them.
CHORUS Paper: The Role of Contextual Factors in Private Sector Engagement: A Case Study of Private Sector Contribution to COVID-19 Mitigation in Nigeria
The CHORUS team at the University of Nigeria undertook a descriptive case study to explore the contextual factors that contributed to the private sector engagement and contribution to COVID-19 mitigation in Nigeria. This paper examines these contextual factors with a view to identifying progress and learning opportunities for enhancing public-private partnership in advancing healthcare not just in Nigeria, but also in related countries in Africa and other developing countries.
CHORUS Paper: The Role of the Private Sector in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences From Four Health Systems
We assess the way in which the private sector has acted in response to COVID-19 and seek to understand the Government’s reaction to this response. We present findings of a policy and media review of the private sector response to the pandemic and government’s interaction with this response in urban settings in four LMICs: Ghana, Nigeria, Nepal and Bangladesh. The private sector response was identified as a major theme a larger study undertaken in each country on the COVID-19 response in urban areas.
We focus on two related questions.
1. Who are the private sector actors (profit and not for profit) who have engaged in the COVID-19 first wave response and what was their role?
2. How have national and sub-national governments engaged in, and with the private sector response and what have been the effects of these engagements?
Paper: “Domains of deprivation framework” for mapping slums, informal settlements, and other deprived areas in LMICs to improve urban planning and policy: A scoping review
This IDEAMAPS paper reviewed conceptualizations of urban deprivation in LMIC cities, integrated key concepts from social and physical sciences, and developed a novel Domains of Deprivation Framework that can support multi-disciplinary global deprived area mapping efforts. The domains aim to be inclusive of issues that define deprivation from the household-to-city-level, and this is reflected in the classification of domains within a simple spatial hierarchy (i.e., household- area- area connect level). Therefore, the IDEAMAPS Domains of Deprivation Framework departs from existing frameworks that are not holistic enough to reflect household and area-level domains of deprivation in LMIC cities.
CHORUS Paper: Stakeholders’ perspectives and willingness to institutionalize linkages between the formal health system and informal healthcare providers in urban slums in southeast, Nigeria
The widely available informal healthcare providers (IHPs) present opportunities to improve access to appropriate essential health services in underserved urban areas in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, they are not formally linked to the formal health system. This study was conducted to explore the perspectives of key stakeholders about institutionalizing linkages between the formal health systems and IHPs, as a strategy for improving access to appropriate healthcare services in Nigeria.
Paper: Examining the roles of stakeholders and evidence in policymaking for inclusive urban development in Nigeria – findings from a policy analysis
This study examined the extent to which stakeholders are involved and evidence considered in urban development policies and strategies in Nigeria. With a high urban population growth rate in Nigerian cities, sustainable urban development is critical and should be hinged on viable policies that are evidence-based and consider stakeholders’ inputs and interests.
Paper: Analysis of equity and social inclusiveness of national urban development policies and strategies through the lenses of health and nutrition
Rapid urbanization increases competition for scarce urban resources and underlines the need for policies that promote equitable access to resources. This study examined equity and social inclusion of urban development policies in Nigeria through the lenses of access to health and food/nutrition resources.
CHORUS Report: Analysis and Lessons from City and Local Government Responses to Covid-19 in Ghana
This study looks at how and why city/local governments in Accra responded to the first wave of Covid-19, and coordinated their responses with national government responses. It also examines the differential impact of responses on sub-groups of the urban population and lessons for local government health security preparedness and response.