Text Messages: An Essential Tool for Reaching Remote Health Workers in the Kenyan Health System

Like many sub-Saharan African countries, Kenya has a severe shortage of health workers, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas, which makes it difficult or impossible for people in these areas to...

By Grace Alone

Transitioning “fistula work” is not easy. Treating obstetric fistula is a service by grace alone, especially if you’re a government worker.

Uganda’s Electronic Databases: From Guesswork to Real Data Management

I used to work at the Registrar of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council where I was the custodian of all information pertaining to the Ugandan nursing cadre. I often felt humbled when people, including those from high-ranking organizations, would come to me seeking data.

Computerized Shortlisting Saves Time and Money, Gets Health Workers Where They Are Needed

The Uganda Capacity Program began collaborating to come up with a better way to quickly recruit, process, and hire qualified health workers.

Pfizer Fellow Reflects on Health Huts, Emailing, and Other Lessons Learned in Senegal

When I first came to Senegal, I did not know at all what to expect. I knew it would be a life-changing experience.

Agaïcha's Story

On the sixth day, my uncle took me from the village to the nearest health center, 65 km away. Once we got there, an unskilled health provider pulled the baby out by force. My son was dead. The following day, my torment started: I could not control my bladder anymore.”

Without the User, There Is No System: Harnessing Technology through the eHealth Workforce

When we talk about building strong health systems and the health workers needed to run these systems, we often think about doctors or nurses or community health workers. Just as crucial to health...

Retaining Health Workers in Rural Kenya: What We Can Learn From Other Countries

In the northern arid lands and other remote parts of Kenya, the Capacity Kenya project has been working with the Ministry of Health to design simple packages to attract health workers and encourage them to stay.

Exploring the Siriraj Hospital at the Second Global Forum on HRH

Despite the 6:30 a.m. reporting time, the field trip to Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok—part of the Second Global Forum on Human Resources for Health—turned out to be one of the best events of the week.

Crowdsourcing: The New Buzz in Productivity and Quality

CapacityPlus is developing a crowdsourcing application and exploring pilot sites in several countries. This will allow the general public with any mobile telephone—with simple SMS texting capability—to report on the presence or absence of health workers, patient waiting times, or other selected quality or productivity indicators at any given clinic at any point in time.