International medical electives in Sub-Saharan Africa: experiences from a 19-year NGO-driven initiative.

Background: Mainstream medical education remains largely focused on national health issues. Therefore, in order to expose medical students to international health issues, it is beneficial to facilitate international medical electives.

Methods: This article describes the Junior Project Officer (JPO) program, a medical experience based on clinical electives in Sub-Saharan Africa, supported by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

An integrated hospital-district performance evaluation for communicable diseases in low-and middle-income countries: Evidence from a pilot in three sub-Saharan countries.

Introduction: The last two decades saw an extensive effort to design, develop and implement integrated and multidimensional healthcare evaluation systems in high-income countries. However, in low- and middle-income countries, few experiences of such systems implementation have been reported in the scientific literature. We developed and piloted an innovative evaluation tool to assess the performance of health services provision for communicable diseases in three sub-Saharan African countries.

Back rubs or foot flicks for neonatal stimulation at birth in a low-resource setting: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Approximately 15% of infants require stimulation in low-resource settings, but data on effectiveness of different stimulation approaches are limited. We aimed to compare two recommended approaches of stimulation (back rubs vs. foot flicks) in reducing the need for face-mask ventilation in newly born infants who were not crying immediately after birth in a low-resource setting.

Screening for cervical cancer in Africa: A proposal of a different combination of VIA test and cervical smear in Uganda.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) screening combined with a cervical smear in Uganda.

Methods: Nine screening campaigns were held in Uganda between January 2011 and October 2019. In the last three campaigns, a new approach was used: the cervical smear was performed before the VIA test and, in case of a positive VIA test, the slide was sent for examination.

Management of mothers and neonates in low resources setting during covid-19 pandemia.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic started in the Hubei province of China, but is rapidly spreading all over the world. Much of the information and literature have been centered on the adult population while a few reports pertaining to COVID-19 and neonates have been published so far. Actual guidelines are based on expert opinion and show significant differences among the official neonatal societies around the world.

Intestinal perforation due to typhoid fever in Karamoja (Uganda).

Introduction: This is a retrospective analysis of patients operated for typhoid perforation, aiming to analyze epidemiology, clinical-diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, mortality and prognosis.

Methods: 47 patients were operated at Matany Hospital from 2010 to 2016. We examined clinical files to collect data.