Background: The World Health Organization's World health report 2006: Working together for health underscores the importance of human resources for health. The shortage of trained health professionals is among the main obstacles to strengthening low-income countries' health systems and to scaling up HIV/AIDS control efforts. Traditional health practitioners are increasingly depicted as key resources to HIV/AIDS prevention and care. An appropriate and effective response to the HIV/AIDS crisis requires reconsideration of the collaboration between traditional and biomedical health providers (THPs and BHPs).

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Background The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has high maternal mortality and a low number of midwives, which undermines the achievement of goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, specifically the health of the mother and newborn. Scaling up the midwifery workforce in relation to number, quality of healthcare, and retention in service is therefore critical. The aim of this study was to investigate midwives’ challenges and factors that motivate them to remain in their workplace in the DRC. Methods Data were collected in two out of 26 provinces in the DRC through ten focus group discussions with a total of 63 midwives working at ten different healthcare facilities. Transcribed discussions were inductively analysed using content analysis. Results The midwives’ challenges and the factors motivating them to remain in their workplace in the DRC are summarised in one main category—Loving one’s work makes it worthwhile to remain in one’s workplace, despite a difficult work environment and low professional status—consisting of three generic categories: Midwifery is not just a profession; it’s a calling is described in the subcategories Saving lives through midwifery skills, Building relationships with the women and the community, and Professional pride; Unsupportive organisational system is expressed in the subcategories Insufficient work-related security and No equitable remuneration system, within Hierarchical management structures; and Inadequate pre-conditions in the work environment includes the subcategories Lack of resources and equipment and Insufficient competence for difficult working conditions. Conclusion Midwives in the DRC are driven by a strong professional conscience to provide the best possible care for women during childbirth, despite a difficult work environment and low professional status. To attract and retain midwives and ensure that they are working to their full scope of practice, we suggest coordinated actions at the regional and national levels in the DRC and in other low-income countries with similar challenges, including (i) conducting midwifery education programmes following international standards, (ii) prioritising and enforcing policies to include adequate remuneration for midwives, (iii) involving midwives’ associations in policy and planning about the midwifery workforce, and (iv) ensuring that midwives’ working environments are safe and well equipped.

Background and objective: The involvement of traditional healthcare providers (THPs) has been suggested among strategies to increase tuberculosis case detection. Burkina Faso has embarked on such an attempt. This study is a preliminary assessment of that model. Methods: Qualitative data were collected using unstructured key informant interviews with policy makers, group interviews with THPs and health workers, and field visits to THPs. Quantitative data were collected from program reports and the national tuberculosis (TB) control database. Results and analysis:The distribution of tasks among THPs, intermediary organizations and clinicians is appealing, especially the focus on active referral. THPs are offered incentives based on numbers of suspected cases confirmed by health workers at the clinic, based on microscopy results or clinical assessment. The positivity rate was 23% and 9% for 2006 and 2007, respectively. The contribution of the program to national case detection was estimated at 2% for Active Referral: An Innovative Approach to Engaging Traditional Healthcare Providers in TB Control in Burkina Faso L' orientation active : une démarche novatrice pour favoriser la participation des prestataires de soins de santé traditionnels dans le contrôle de la tuberculose

Background. In TB control, poor treatment adherence is a major cause of relapse and drug resistance. Nurses have a critical role in supporting patients in TB treatment process. Yet, very little research has been done to inform policymakers and practitioners on nurses' experiences of treatment adherence among patients with TB. Aim. To describe nurses' experiences of supporting treatment adherence among patients with tuberculosis in Burundi. Method. The study adopted qualitative approach with a descriptive design. A purposive sampling was performed. Eight nurses were selected from two TB treatment centers in Burundi. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Result. According to the nurses, most patients complete their treatment. Educating patients, providing the medication, observing and following up treatment, and communicating with the patients were the key tasks by nurses to support adherence. Causes for interruption were medication-related difficulties, poverty, and patients' indiscipline. Treatment adherence could also be affected by patients' and nurses' feelings. Providing transportation and meals could enhance treatment compliance. Conclusion. Nurses are critical resources to TB treatment success. In a poverty stricken setting, nurses' work could be facilitated and adherence further could be enhanced if socioeconomic problems (transportation and nutritional support) were alleviated.