Blog — eHealth Africa - Building stronger health systems in Africa
,

eHealth Africa: getting ahead of Breast Cancer through awareness

,

By Favour Oriaku

Kano, Nigeria

Staff who attended the training physically at the eHealth Africa's HQ office in Kano State.

18 years ago, Hauwa Garba, witnessed a family friend go through breast cancer and eventually lost her. She had never heard of cancer. It was a painful experience that stuck with her. It left her terrified.

Over the years, Hauwa has lost others - colleagues and friends to several forms of cancer. “It is never an easy experience to see a loved one dying gradually. Awareness of breast cancer and other cancers is very important. It is consoling to know that early detection can help save lives.” She said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. 685,000 deaths were recorded globally, and significant differences in breast cancer mortality rates have been evidenced among countries. As expected, low- and middle-income countries had increasing mortality rates. A study has revealed that a lack of awareness and early detection programs in developing countries is the reason for escalating mortality.


To commemorate Breast Cancer Day, eHealth Africa partnered with EHA Clinics to host a training session for the entire eHA workforce including Hauwa who is a procurement manager at the organization. The training addressed misconceptions about breast cancer, including those Hauwa had held for so long. It also reminded participants of the importance of early detection in fighting the disease. The session was anchored by Dr. Mujidat Babah, who has a verifiable track record of applying medical knowledge to the diagnosis, prevention, and management of diseases in both clinical and public health settings. She gave information on how mammogram works, new discoveries in treating breast cancer, as well as adopting the right lifestyle as a preventive measure for not contracting the disease.

Hauwa Abdulmutalib-Garba, Manager, Procurement and Asset, eHealth Africa

“I used to believe that mammograms were dangerous because of the radiation, but during the training, I learned that the radiation level used for a mammogram is insignificant.”
— Hauwa Abdulmutalib-Garba

Asked what other lessons she'd take away from this session for other women who share similar misconceptions about breast cancer, Hauwa committed to encouraging women to examine their breasts regularly for lumps and squeeze the nipple to see if any liquid comes out. She would also advise them to go for a medical examination if anything felt strange. 

The training brought together all staff of eHA Africa and staff of the eHA clinics in Kano, including their family and friends. Another Participant Aisha Bello, also commented “the training was an eye-opener for me. It was also quite revealing to me to learn that men could also get breast cancer. I always thought it was entirely a women’s issue"

eHealth Africa is intentional about staff health and well-being and continues to prioritize it at all times through insightful trainings and sebinars to optimize their performance and general well-being.

,

eHealth Africa: Making Mental Health a Priority

,

By Emmanuel Uko

Discussions about mental health are becoming popular. However, the gap between reliable information and positive action remains to be bridged. One of those who experienced this information gap is Farid Suleiman, an intern at eHealth Africa. He believed that mental health interventions could only take place in psychiatric units. For Farid, this is now changing.

“My perspective has improved. I now know that being overworked  and stressed, and the quality of my social interaction directly correlate to the state of our mental health”, he said.

All staff at eHealth Africa participated in the campaign, either virtually or physically.

For the 2022 World Mental Health Day, eHealth Africa created a forum where Farid and the rest of the eHealth workforce would learn, following the theme: “Make Mental Health and Wellbeing for All a Global Priority”. The learning session was anchored by a mental health expert and public speaker, Chidi Chukwudi-Madu. The session opened with a clarification that there is no physical health without mental health. It explored the relationship between pressure, stress and mental health. The learning forum presented facts, causes and red flags associated with the topic of the day and how they relate to the workplace.

Mental health issues are prevalent amongst young people especially in low income countries. According to WHO, one in four adults experience mental health issues annually and nearly 1 billion people live with a mental health disorder. More so, one out of ten young people experiences a mental health problem; three out of four of these have their onset by the age of twenty, and about 50% of mental health disorders start by the age of fourteen. 11% of 18 – 34-year-olds report having attempted suicide and 16% report self-harm at some stage in their lives. 

It is estimated that by the year 2032, depression will put more burden on countries than any other disease. There is, therefore, a need for more interventions around mental health management, especially in the workplace, which potentially has multiple stressors.

Anchoring the learning event on mental health, Ms Chukwudi-Madu emphasized three key points on prioritizing mental health at work:

Farid Suleiman’s perspective on mental health topics has changed.

1. At the workplace, three out of ten employees develop mild mental health issues annually, for varied reasons. Individuals must therefore, ensure work-life balance, talk with friends, keep active creatively and learn new productivity skills.

2. Red flags to watch out for include social withdrawal, decline in work performance, deteriorating physical appearance, frequent headaches, poor judgments and indecision. Other red flags include unexplained changes in eating and sleeping patterns, self-harming behaviors, emotional numbness, frequent tearfulness and poor memory.

3. Managers should hold regular check-ins with employees, enable people to connect, review workloads, encourage discussions and promote learning at the workplace.

Mohammed Bello, a Project Manager at eHealth described the session as, “An eye-opener and a wake-up call to be deliberate about mental health, especially in the workplace where employees spend most of their time”.

Adama Shallangwa, an Intern with eHealth Africa, added, “This session has opened me up to the responsibility of mutual support towards remaining mentally healthy and productive at work and at home, understanding that it is okay not to be okay.”

Asked what he would do differently after the campaign, Farid expressed, “Now that I know better, I will be deliberate about my state of mind, think positively, rest adequately, avoid stress and most importantly, treat people well and add value to the wellbeing of others.”

eHealth Africa, one of Nigeria’s #BestPlacesToWork, continues to use innovative ways to enable its workforce access relevant information that add value to their personal and professional productivity.

In Tanzania, eHealth Africa hands over state-of-the-art Polio Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) to support the fight against polio

By Juliana Okoro

On Thursday, 13th October 2022, the Ministry of Health Tanzania commissioned the polio emergency operations center (PEOC) set up by eHealth Africa in Dodoma, Tanzania.

With support from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the PEOC supports the Ministry to facilitate collaboration and coordination of public health stakeholders within the country in the fight against the Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus 2 (cVDPV2) and vaccine-preventable diseases.

Over the years, Tanzania has made magnificent progress in eradicating polio, but with polio rising in neighboring countries, the need for further efforts to prevent cross-border epidemics has increased. The effect of the covid-19 pandemic has negatively affected the country’s vaccination program, including the coverage for polio vaccines. With the establishment of the Polio emergency operation centers, equipped with modern technology, coordination will be easier. The PEOC will serve as a central location for coordinating operations and providing tools and resources for the strategic management of public health emergencies. 

To ensure sustainability, e-health Africa handed over the center to the Ministry of Health, Tanzania to support their effort in the fight against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases. The center will provide health data that will give the government information on any threats within their borders and those coming up in their neighboring borders. “The goal of the polio emergency operations center (PEOC) is to ensure you have the resources you need to fight and respond to outbreaks all in one place. Joint efforts of the government and partners will help to improve the quality of any response in Tanzania. It will function at this national level during emergencies and ensure proper response to other outbreaks beyond polio.” said Dr Delayo Zomahoun, GPEI Coordinator for Tanzania.

The growing cases of the Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus 2 (cVDPV2) in many African countries require focused efforts to establish Emergency Operating Centers to improve the coordination and coverage of vaccination efforts to tackle the spread of type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2). eHealth Africa’s project manager Sodipe Oluwaseun said “In March, we came to Tanzania to support the setup of the EOC and outbreak response. 7 months later, we facilitated the setup of the polio EOC. We hope this EOC provides the platform to ensure no child is left behind in the fight against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases. We thank the government of Tanzania for an enabling environment.”

Here are some pictures from the handover event in Dodoma, Tanzania. 

,

Renewable Energy for Improved Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria

,

By Juliana Okoro

Access to energy is a prerequisite for quality health care and it is fundamental to the achievement of universal health care coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, about one in four health facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, and three in four facilities lack reliable power. The lack of sufficient and reliable power is jeopardizing the well-being of hundreds of millions of people, especially women and children, who often bear the brunt of inadequate primary healthcare services. According to Dr Julie Yemi-Jonathan. O, Country Manager, We Care Solar, “without a reliable source of electricity, nighttime deliveries are most of the time, attended in near darkness, cancelled or conducted by flashlight, and the outcomes are often tragic.”

Off-grid renewable energy solutions present a key opportunity to provide clean, reliable and cost-effective electricity to rural health centers, which can dramatically transform the quality of healthcare services provided to rural communities.

Harnessing the enormous potential of renewable energy to improve energy access for primary healthcare facilities requires combined action from the health and energy sectors. To this end, the Nigeria Energy Conference, which took place between 20 - 22 September 2022, brought together key energy and health sector stakeholders, including policy-makers, practitioners, financial institutions, development partners, and NGOs that can play a role in enhancing electricity access for primary healthcare facilities.

During a panel session at the conference, eHealth Africa facilitated a discussion about sustainable energy for improved healthcare delivery in Nigeria. The panelists discussed what needs to be done to ensure that Primary Health Centers (PHCs) have access to energy for better health outcomes. Acknowledging the challenges most PHCs face, the panelists elaborated more on how the lack of electricity in primary health centres has led to more medical emergencies and increased mortality rates.

The panel discussion sparked the much-needed, cross-sector thinking around how to deliver energy to health facilities, especially in resource-constrained environments. A resounding takeaway was that distributed solar power and energy-efficient devices hold great potential for creating stronger and more resilient health systems in Africa and beyond.

We Care Solar's deployment of solar suitcases to Primary healthcare centers has had a tremendous impact on reducing child mortality and maternal mortality rates. According to the company’s representative on the panel, “a lot of our health facilities do not have access to a reliable power supply. We have seen cases where surgeries are turned down because of a lack of power. Sometimes surgical operations are suddenly interrupted, leading to the death of the patient, due to power failure”. This she said, “prompted We Care Solar to develop the Solar Suitcase”. 

Another speaker, Mohammed Bello, a project manager at eHealth Africa, identified solar energy as the reliable solution to these challenges. He highlighted some projects implemented by eHealth Africa with support from partners and stakeholders to ensure health facilities across the country have access to a reliable power supply. According to him, eHealth Africa is working with the Nigerian Energy sector and Integration Consulting firm, which are critical players on issues concerning energy.

The panel speakers and moderator after the session hosted by eHealth Africa at the Nigeria Energy Conference 2022

Key lessons from the panel session hosted by eHealth Africa at the Nigeria Energy Conference 2022:

  • There is a dire need to increase renewable energy access in primary health centres, especially those in remote areas.

  • The use of solar panels as an alternative source of electricity in primary health centers will help mitigate the energy challenges faced by primary health centers.

  • Health facilities should be a top priority in electrification plans for both national governments and development partners. Off-grid renewables offer rapidly deployable, reliable, cost-effective solutions.

  • In order to address the energy access needs of healthcare facilities, the energy and health sectors must work together. This should happen at all levels, from strategy and planning to policies, budgeting, procurement and implementation.

  • Innovation has to be encouraged and promoted, as in the case of the solar-powered suitcases by We Care Solar. Also, in the design of robust, low maintenance, efficient, user-friendly medical devices suited for remote off-grid areas.

  • Energy-efficient medical devices, combined with off-grid renewable energy and telecommunications, can expand the services offered by primary health centres in under-served communities. This also reduces the need for patients to travel to larger, more distant facilities.

  • There are funding opportunities from donors as long as the organization involved can provide evidence of work done in this field.