Perceptions of caring for children with disabilities: experiences from Moshi, Tanzania

Background: Although there exist laws; policies and standards in Tanzania that serve to protect and improve the lives of children with disabilities; the individual human experiences and feelings of the carers and parents still remain the realities of caring for children with disabilities. There is a lack of qualitative studies examining experiences in a developing context. This research aimed to fill that gap. Objectives: The objective of this research was to gain an insight into how having a child with a disability impacts upon participants lives and to examine both negative and positive experiences of care through the use of qualitative methods. Method: This was a qualitative; exploratory study and followed a phenomenological method. Purposive convenience sampling methods were used to recruit 14 carers in Moshi; Tanzania. Qualitative; semi-structured interviews were undertaken with all 14 participants. Results: Five main themes emerged from the data which shed light on the carers experiences; namely; objective challenges in terms of financial challenges; employment issues and demands of care; subjective challenges in the form of stigma; isolation and pity; positive experiences such as the child's progress; respect and happiness; material and financial needs; and coping mechanisms which included beliefs; support and attitudes. Conclusion: The findings of this research were that objective challenges are common and more significant than subjective challenges. Positive experiences were not as easily identified by the participants as the challenges faced. However; having analysed the data; carers do not experience their roles as entirely negative. They simply need the resources to deal with objective challenges which in a developing context are not easily attainable

Perceived control, academic performance and well-being of Ghanaian college students with disability

Background: Empirical evidence abounds showing the impact of perceived control on subjective well-being in several spheres of functioning, including academic performance. At tertiary institutions, such as the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, little is known about the needs of students with disabilities, as very few persons with disabilities attend institutions of higher learning. Objectives: This study examined the relationship between perceptions of control and the academic and subjective well-being of students with disabilities. Method: A total of 69 students with disabilities participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Using trusted control and subjective well-being scales, data were subject to descriptive analyses. Results: Consistent with previous works, perceived control increased with increased subjective well-being, moderated by gender. In addition, forms of secondary control appeared to aid primary control in the tenacious pursuit of goals. However, neither perceived control nor self-esteem was predictive of academic performance. Conclusion: Limitations of sample size notwithstanding, the findings of the study can be considered provocative. Implications for clinical utility in facilitating context-specific interventions for this marginalised group are discussed. Replication with a larger sample size in other tertiary institutions is suggested for future work

Formation en sante publique en Afrique subsaharienne: enjeux et opportunites

"Public health is a complex domain that covers a vast array of disciplines. Specialization in public health therefore requires a combination of va rious skills in equally complex fields. The public health training institutions in A f rica are thus still unable to meet the huge need for adequate training in this domain. Counting solely on sending A f ricans to developed countries would neither quantitatively nor qualitatively fulfill the continent's enormous public health needs; either. To meet these needs; some A f rican countries have created their own public health schools and offer local graduate training programs in various public health disciplines. A major advantage of these schools in comparison with the schools in developed countries is that the degrees they offer are immediately recognized by local African administrations. In addition; their training programs specifically focus on the existing public health needs and problems of African countries. Training Africans locally also contributes to reducing their temptation to emigrate after their graduation. However; the lack of adequate resources of African schools and their tendency to encourage premature high level specialization represent serious threats for the school's further development and long-term effectiveness. The lack of adequate management strat egy to utilize well the trained cadres is still of gre atconcern. It is along with poor wages and salaries among the key determining factors of the brain - drain. Poor management strategy appears also to be the root causes of the failure of the short term training programs. The effectiveness of these short term training programs is currently questionable because of their unnecessary huge numbers; and the focus on the payment of ""perdiems "" as their main benefit. Many obstacles to providing adequate local training to African public health providers remain to be overcome. However there are a number of opportunities including use of new information and communication technologies; partnerships between institutions; and use of modern management techniques. These opportunities can greatly improve the situation if they are properly used."

The role of the Minsitry of Health in Public health Training

Public health needs are diverse and dynamic. In order to meet the ever changing public health needs; it is important that the training needs are continuously receive and appropriate manpower trained. The Minsitry of Health (MOH) has a manpower division that is responsible for planning; coordinating; monitoring and evaluation of manpower training for health. This is the unit through which the Minsitry normally plays its role in training of health personnel

"""Investing in Health"": World Development Report 1993 (WDR)."

This article summarises the major recommendations of the World Development Report 1993 and how this relates to Uganda health Policy Development. It brings out lessons learnt in the part and asserts that global improvement in health and reduction in the mortality rate was due mainly to three factors. It builds on past experience to consolidate for the future by recommending agenda for action and three main strategies are identified