Publications

Syphilis is a systemic, sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterial spirochaete, Treponema pallidum. If it is not treated adequately in the primary, acute stage, it leads to chronicity and many adverse systemic outcomes.  In more than 50% of cases, untreated syphilis in pregnant women can result in numerous adverse outcomes of pregnancy including stillbirths, premature or low birth weight infants, neonatal deaths or birth of a congenital syphilitic baby. Congenital syphilis is an easily preventable and curable disease, which can be eliminated through effective screening of pregnant women for syphilis and adequate treatment of those infected.

Due to their increased visibility, LGBT rights defenders and service providers are at increased risk for violent attacks. Not only are these incidents violations of basic human rights, they have a devastating impact on HIV services for LGBT populations. This policy brief focuses on the connection between anti-LGBT violence and HIV, attempting to convey a sense of the frequency of these attacks, their exceptional brutality, and their impact on HIV prevention and treatment services. The information presented in this report was gathered through a desk review of civil society reports, government reports, media reports, and peer-reviewed journal articles focused on violence against LGBT people in different countries around the world. 

The Ministry of Health aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Brunei Darussalam through a high quality and comprehensive health care system which is effective, efficient, responsive, affordable, equitable and accessible to all in the country. The organization has three priorities: 1) To make health everyone's business; 2) to enhance quality of service delivery, and 3) to prevent and control non-communicable diseases.  Brunei Darussalam has achieved most of the health related targets set in the Millennium Development Goals.These include significant reductions in under 5 mortality rate(U5MR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) that the figures from the last two decades have shown only slight fluctuations to the current level, which is on par with the standard set in developed nations.

The global HIV epidemic has emerged as formidable challenges to public health, development and human rights. The SAARC Member States have varied epidemiological patterns of HIV infection and AIDS. In reviewing the current epidemiology of HIV and AIDS within the SAARC region, the diversity needs to be fully addressed and defined. Despite of these diversities, Member States are committed to take necessary actions and contain HIV and AIDS epidemic. SAARC Epidemiological Response on HIV and AIDS – 2015 incorporates updated information on HIV/AIDS as of December 2014. This is the 13th report incorporates, as of December 2014, updated information and brief analysis on the HIV/AIDS situation in global, regional and SAARC Member States. This report scrutinizes the HIV epidemic and a more detailed description of its epidemiology in the SAARC region. In addition, this report also includes the situation of HIV/AIDS in the region and the HIV/AIDS Control Program of member states of the region.

Lhak-Sam (BNP+) is the first and only network of HIV positive people formed in 2010, to address the needs of PLHIV for mutual support, solidarity, and social networking in Bhutan. Lhak-sam provides leadership, education and capacity building with a dream to create an environment free from stigma and discrimination and a society wherein all PLHIV and affected family members have opportunities for meaningful livelihood. Lhak-Sam's purpose is to create and promote a strong support system based on solidarity, social networking and people’s participation for addressing and taking collective action towards effective response to HIV/AIDS and its impact. As the year 2015 Wood Female Sheep Year begins, it’s time we look back, reflect and acknowledge the small contribution and achievements that we have made, and the challenges that we have faced in responding to AIDS in Bhutan. This 2015, we celebrate 4 years of our working in solidarity with our HIV positive members and in partnership with government, and relevant stakeholders.

This Regional Strategy for Universal Health Coverage was unanimously endorsed by the Sixty-Fifth Session of the Regional Committee for South-East Asia (Resolution SEA/RC65/R6) in September 2012. Previously, in May 2012, at the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly, the Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan announced UHC as a WHO priority for her second term in office (2012-2017). Countries in the WHO South East Asia Region (SEAR) have made significant contribution to UHC with respect to both conceptual thinking as well as implementation. The focus in NHPSP has been on improving equity in health as the core of UHC. To assist in this effort, this Regional Strategy systematically documents technical issues and international experience as a practical reference to advancing UHC, for both Member States and WHO.

Hundreds of millions of people are affected by humanitarian emergencies each year. Of the 314 million people affected by humanitarian emergencies in 2013, 1.6 million were people living with HIV. Of these, 1.3 million people (81%) were in sub-Saharan Africa. Many were displaced, lacked access to essential HIV services and suffered as a result of shortages that could have been avoided. 1 million people living with HIV did not access treatment in humanitarian emergencies in 2013. When 1.6 million people living with HIV were affected by humanitarian emergencies in 2013, they suffered service disruptions and restrictive policies that threatened their lives. More than one million people were estimated to have been unable to access anti-retroviral therapy, due to humanitarian emergencies.

The National Health Promotion Strategic Plan (NHPSP) for Bhutan is a first of its kind in the history of health system of Bhutan. The strategic plan document seeks to provide policy makers, health promoters, educators and other stakeholders with a broad strategic framework for development and strengthening of health promotion within the health sector and sectors across government, private and civil society organisations over the period 2015-2023. The document provides the current health situation in Bhutan, NHPSP’s vision, mission and goals and objectives. The document is based on the five key strategic areas of (i) Health in All Policies (HiAPs), (ii) Capacity Building, (iii) Healthy Settings, (iv)Targeted Interventions for Priority Health Concerns and (v) Innovation for Sustainability. The each of the strategic area is targeted to foster positive processes for health promotion approaches through inter-sectoral collaboration, capacity building, sustainable and healthy settings/interventions, legislation and regulation to support health promotion across all sectors.

The National Strategic Plan (NSP) is the primary guiding document supporting our efforts to improve health and is an invaluable resource to keep us focused and on track over the next five years. The National Strategic Plan 2016-2020 has been developed to align with the Government's priorities for the health sector, the global post 2015 development agenda, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which builds upon the Millennium Development Goals that preceded them. The "Healthy Islands" (HI) vision of the Pacific has also been considered as one of the key frameworks in developing this document. Based on the HI vision MoHMS has initiated the "Wellness Fiji" approach that forms the basis for reorientation of Fiji's Primary Health Care (PHC) delivery towards reaching people in the various "settings" in which they live, work and play and through expanded partnerships between peripheral health workers and local communities. Many of the themes that are highlighted in these development frameworks are cross-cutting and thus are integrated throughout the NSP.

Each year an estimated 200 000 youth aged 10–29 years are murdered, making homicide the fourth leading cause of death in young people globally. In addition to these deaths, millions of young people sustain violence-related injuries that require emergency medical treatment, and countless others go on to develop mental health problems and adopt high-risk behaviours such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and unsafe sex as a result of their exposure to youth violence. The emotional toll of youth violence on its victims, their loved ones and friends is high, and youth violence shatters lives. These consequences also have high economic costs, both for society and for the families of those affected. The aim of this manual is to help policy-makers and planners everywhere – particularly in settings with limited human and financial resources – to address youth violence using an evidence-informed approach. The manual provides a science-based framework for understanding why some individuals are more likely to become involved in youth violence than others and why youth violence is more concentrated in particular communities and sectors of the population than in others. This framework incorporates a life-course approach that recognizes how behaviour in the present is shaped by earlier developmental stages. It also takes into account how youth violence is influenced by characteristics of the individual; family and peer relationships; and features of the community and society, such as economic inequality and high levels of alcohol consumption.