Differential impacts of health systems and sociocultural environment on vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons from four Asia-Pacific countries.

Background: This study aims to evaluate healthcare systems and pandemic responses in relation to marginalized and vulnerable groups, identify populations requiring urgent care, and assess the differential impacts on their health during the pandemic.

Methods: Data were collected by the Asia-Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (APO)-National University of Singapore and APO-International Health Policy Program consortium members: Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore. Data were collected through a combination of semi-structured interviews, policy document reviews, and analysis of secondary data.

Poor personal protective equipment practices were associated with heat-related symptoms among Asian healthcare workers: a large-scale multi-national questionnaire survey.

Background: It is pertinent to understand the perceptions of healthcare workers (HCWs) with their associated personal protective equipment (PPE) usage and heat strain symptoms experienced to effectively combat the negative effects of heat stress during treatment and care activities.

Methods: We evaluated the associated heat stress perceived by HCWs across Asia and validated a questionnaire on perceptions of heat stress, associated PPE usage, and heat strain symptoms experienced. The questionnaire was administered to 3,082 HCWs in six Asian regions.

Health financing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and implications for universal health care: a case study of 15 countries.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was a health emergency requiring rapid fiscal resource mobilisation to support national responses. The use of effective health financing mechanisms and policies, or lack thereof, affected the impact of the pandemic on the population, particularly vulnerable groups and individuals. We provide an overview and illustrative examples of health financing policies adopted in 15 countries during the pandemic, develop a framework for resilient health financing, and use this pandemic to argue a case to move towards universal health coverage (UHC).

Health-related Quality of Life of Patients With Diabetes Mellitus Measured With the Bahasa Indonesia Version of EQ-5D in Primary Care Settings in Indonesia.

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious public health issue that places a heavy financial, social, and health-related burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems. Self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is extensively used for monitoring the general population's health conditions and measuring the effectiveness of interventions. Therefore, this study investigated HRQoL and associated factors among patients with type 2 DM at a primary healthcare center in Indonesia.

Acceptability and feasibility of tuberculosis-diabetes mellitus screening implementation in private primary care clinics in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: a qualitative study.

Background: The relationship between Tuberculosis (TB) and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is intricate and intertwined, posing significant global health challenges. In addition, the increasing prevalence of DM worldwide raises concerns regarding the potential resurgence of tuberculosis. The implementation of tuberculosis prevention strategies is of the utmost importance, especially in countries like Indonesia that encounter a dual burden of TB and DM.

Family Involvement to Stop the Conversion of Prediabetes to Diabetes.

Prediabetes is a condition associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes, in which blood glucose levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. The rapid increase in the prevalence of prediabetes is a major global health challenge. The incidence of prediabetes has increased to pandemic levels and can lead to serious consequences.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and risk factors in Bantul Regency in March-April 2021, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

COVID-19 case counts in Indonesia inevitably underestimate the true cumulative incidence of infection due to limited diagnostic test availability, barriers to testing accessibility and asymptomatic infections. Therefore, community-based serological data is essential for understanding the true prevalence of infections. This study aims to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and factors related to the seropositivity in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations: Lessons for improving health and social equity.

The COVID-19 pandemic had an inequitable and disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, reversing decades of progress toward healthy populations and poverty alleviation. This study examines various programmatic tools and policy measures used by governments to support vulnerable populations during the pandemic. A comparative case study of 15 countries representing all World Health Organization's regions offers a comprehensive picture of countries with varying income statuses, health system arrangements and COVID-19 public health measures.

Early diagnostic indicators of dengue versus other febrile illnesses in Asia and Latin America (IDAMS study): a multicentre, prospective, observational study.

Background: Improvements in the early diagnosis of dengue are urgently needed, especially in resource-limited settings where the distinction between dengue and other febrile illnesses is crucial for patient management.

Methods: In this prospective, observational study (IDAMS), we included patients aged 5 years and older with undifferentiated fever at presentation from 26 outpatient facilities in eight countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Venezuela, and Viet Nam). We used multivariable logistic regression to investigate the association between clinical symptoms and laboratory tests with dengue versus other febrile illnesses between day 2 and day 5 after onset of fever (ie, illness days).

COVID-19 public health and social measures: a comprehensive picture of six Asian countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic will not be the last of its kind. As the world charts a way towards an equitable and resilient recovery, Public Health and Social Measures (PHSMs) that were implemented since the beginning of the pandemic need to be made a permanent feature of health systems that can be activated and readily deployed to tackle sudden surges in infections going forward. Although PHSMs aim to blunt the spread of the virus, and in turn protect lives and preserve health system capacity, there are also unintended consequences attributed to them.

Strengthening government's response to COVID-19 in Indonesia: A modified Delphi study of medical and health academics.

The Indonesian government has issued various policies to control COVID-19. However, COVID-19 new cases continued to increase, and there remain uncertainties as to the future trajectory. We aimed to investigate how medical and health academics view the Indonesian government's handling of COVID-19 and which areas of health systems need to be prioritized to improve the government's response to COVID-19.

Fast and noninvasive electronic nose for sniffing out COVID-19 based on exhaled breath-print recognition.

The reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) approach has been widely used to detect the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, instead of using it alone, clinicians often prefer to diagnose the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by utilizing a combination of clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory test, imaging measurement (e.g.

Maintaining Polio-Free Status in Indonesia During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Despite the negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on polio eradication efforts, ensuring the high coverage of polio immunization and high performance of surveillance are essential to maintaining Indonesia’s polio-free status and the reaching the 2023 global polio eradication target.

Implementation fidelity of tuberculosis preventive therapy for under five children exposed to sputum smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis in Kaski district, Nepal: An implementation research.

Introduction: In line with the WHO recommendation, Nepal has started implementing Tuberculosis prevention therapy (TBPT) for under five children exposed to Sputum Smear Positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis, as one of the strategies for prevention, care and control of TB. Implementation fidelity study is important to assess on what extent preventive program is being implemented. The objective of the study measured the implementation fidelity of TBPT program Kaski district, Nepal.

Feasibility of Find cases Actively, Separate safely and Treat effectively (FAST) strategy for early diagnosis of TB in Nepal: An implementation research.

Introduction: Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Diagnosing TB in an early stage and initiating effective treatment is one of the best ways to reduce the burden of tuberculosis. Feasibility of Find cases Actively, Separate safely and Treat effectively (FAST) Strategy helps to improve the early diagnosis of tuberculosis cases among inpatient settings as well as out patient department patients and prevent TB transmission in hospital.

Ensuring sustainability of polio immunization in health system transition: lessons from the polio eradication initiative in Indonesia.

Background: Sustaining an effective evidence-based health intervention will maximize its impact on public health. Political and governmental reforms impacted on immunization program sustainability both positively and negatively. This study aims to explore the sustainability of polio immunization in a decentralized health system taking lessons learned from a polio eradication initiative in Indonesia.

Understanding the Spatial Predictors of Malnutrition Among 0-2 Years Children in India Using Path Analysis.

Despite several programs and policies to turn down the burden of malnutrition in the country, the rank of India in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) is 102 among 117 countries, which indicates a serious hunger situation. It is essential to design more specific interventions by focusing on the key determinants that may directly or indirectly influence malnutrition in India. Utilizing data from the National Family and Health Survey-4 (NFHS) (2015-16), we developed a structural equation model to find the direct, indirect, and total effect of various determinants on stunting, wasting, and underweight.

The Capacity of the Indonesian Healthcare System to Respond to COVID-19.

The Indonesian Government has issued various policies to fight Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). However, cases have continued to fluctuate over a year into the pandemic. There is a need to assess the country's healthcare system's capacity to absorb and accommodate the varying healthcare demands.

COVID-19 and ASEAN responses: Comparative policy analysis.

Scholars and policy-makers agree that cross-border and multi-sector cooperation are essential components of coordinated efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections. This paper examines the responses of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation) member countries to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the limits of regional cooperation. ASEAN has pre-existing cooperative frameworks in place, including regional health security measures, which, at least theoretically, could assist the region's efforts to formulate cooperative responses to containing a global pandemic.

The effects of polio eradication efforts on health systems: a cross-country analysis using the Develop-Distort Dilemma.

Vertical disease control programmes have enormous potential to benefit or weaken health systems, and it is critical to understand how programmes' design and implementation impact the health systems and communities in which they operate. We use the Develop-Distort Dilemma (DDD) framework to understand how the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) distorted or developed local health systems. We include document review and 176 interviews with respondents at the global level and across seven focus countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Nigeria).