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A system to improve the management of emergencies during pregnancy, childbirth, infancy and childhood in a region of The Gambia (Brikama) with a population of approximately 250,000 has been developed.This was accomplished through formal partnership between the Gambian Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation, Maternal Childhealth Advocacy International and the Advanced Life Support Group.Since October 2006, the hospital in Brikama has been renovated and equipped and more efficiently provided with emergency medicines. An emergency ambulance service now links the community with the hospital through a mobile telephone system. Health professionals from community to hospital have been trained in obstetric, neonatal and paediatric emergency management using skills' based education. The programme was evaluated in log books detailing individual resuscitations and by external assessment.The hospital now has constant water and electricity, a functioning operating theatre and emergency room; the maternity unit and children's wards have better emergency equipment and there is a more reliable supply of oxygen and emergency drugs, including misoprostol (for treating post partum haemorrhage) and magnesium sulphate (for severe pre-eclampsia). There is also a blood transfusion service.Countrywide, 217 doctors, nurses, and midwives have undergone accredited training in the provision of emergency maternal, newborn and child care, including for major trauma. 33 have received additional education through Generic Instructor Courses and 15 have reached full instructor status. 83 Traditional Birth Attendants and 48 Village Health Workers have been trained in the recognition and initial management of emergencies, including resuscitation of the newborn. Eleven and ten nurses underwent training in peri-operative nursing and anaesthetics respectively, to address the acute shortage required for emergency Caesarean section.Between May 2007 and March 2010, 109 patients, mostly pregnant mothers, were stabilised and transported to hospital by the new emergency ambulance service.293 resuscitation attempts were documented in personal logbooks.A sustainable system for better managing emergencies has been established and is helping to negate the main obstacle impeding progress: the country's lack of available trained medical and nursing staff. However, insufficient attention was paid to improving staff morale and accommodation representing significant failings of the programme.

In order to assess how the hospital referral system in Namibia was operating, a cross-sectional survey of patients attending three intermediate hospitals and the national hospital was conducted over a 4-week period. The survey was planned by a Ministry of Health and Social Services' working group, with technical support provided by a donor funded health programme. Together with complementary qualitative data, obtained through focus group discussions with the community, the survey generated information on the extent to which the referral system was being bypassed, the types of bypassing and related factors. These included reasons for non-compliance with referral to the intermediate hospitals, perceived barriers to their utilization and community preparedness to use these hospitals after upgrading. The results were used to inform decisions about the classification of the three hospitals and identification of their catchment areas. The results were also shown to be useful for assessing the likely impact of different strategies for reducing bypassing. In Namibia these impacts were expected to be limited, due to the influence of distance and low population densities. Information on the extent and types of bypassing taking place across districts is essential for assessing opportunities to improve the functioning of a pyramidal referral system, which supports a cost-effective primary health care strategy.

ObjectiveTo assess the methods used in the evaluation of measles vaccination coverage, identify quality concerns and provide recommendations for improvement.MethodsWe reviewed surveys that were conducted to evaluate supplementary measles immunization activities in eastern and southern Africa during 2012 and 2013. We investigated the organization(s) undertaking each survey, survey design, sample size, the numbers of study clusters and children per study cluster, recording of immunizations and methods of analysis. We documented sampling methods at the level of clusters, households and individual children. We also assessed the length of training for field teams at national and regional levels, the composition of teams and the supervision provided.FindingsThe surveys were conducted in Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Of the 13 reports we reviewed, there were weaknesses in 10 of them for ethical clearance, 9 for sample size calculation, 6 for sampling methods, 12 for training structures, 13 for supervision structures and 11 for data analysis.ConclusionWe recommend improvements in the documentation of routine and supplementary immunization, via home-based vaccination cards or other records. For surveys conducted after supplementary immunization, a standard protocol is required. Finally, we recommend that standards be developed for report templates and for the technical review of protocols and reports. This would ensure that the results of vaccination coverage surveys are accurate, comparable, reliable and valuable for programme improvement.