Developing an Index to Measure Health System Performance: Measurement for Districts of Nepal.

Various frameworks for measuring health system performance have been proposed and discussed. The scope of using performance indicators are broad, ranging from examining national health system to individual patients at various levels of health system. Development of innovative and easy index is essential to measure multidimensionality of health systems.

Non-communicable diseases in the South-East Asia region: burden, strategies and opportunities.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a global health and developmental emergency, as they cause premature deaths,exacerbate poverty and threaten national economies. In 2008, they were the top killers in the South-East Asia region, causing 7.9 million deaths; the number of deaths is expected to increase by 21% over the next decade.

Mortality statistics from national censuses: a low cost viable method.

Information related to mortality is pivotal for evidence based policy and planning, resource mobilization and impact of intervention. This information is essential to monitor trends in health situation of the population, detect new epidemics, encourage research into avoidable causes of death, evaluate the success of control programs, and improve accountability for expenditures on disease control. Sixty percent of the countries of the world don't provide enough information on vital events and complete and representative information.

Session 1.5: health policy and coordination: a critical review of experiences.

This is a summary of the presentations and discussion of Session 1.5 on Health Policy and Coordination: A Critical Review of Experiences during the Conference, Health Aspects of the Tsunami Disaster in Asia, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Phuket, Thailand, 04-06 May 2005. The topics discussed included issues related to health policy and coordination as pertain to the responses to the damage created by the Tsunami.

Double-blind, multi-centre trial to compare a once-daily combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethopyrazine with ampicillin 4-times daily in patients with urinary infections.

Sixty-eight patients with urinary infection were allocated at random to receive treatment with either 500 mg ampicillin 4-times daily or a trimethoprim (250 mg)/sulfamethopyrazine (200 mg) combination given once daily after a double, loading dose on the first day. All patients complained of urinary symptoms and showed significant bacteriuria, E. coli being the pathogen most frequently recovered.