On World Malaria Day, when the ambitious goal of eliminating malaria is within reach for several countries, it is important to remember that in many nations malaria continues to be a daily threat and one of the biggest killers of children. In Uganda, malaria accounts for 43 percent of hospital-based under-five deaths, and the entire…

As we celebrate World Immunization Week, it is time to reflect on the powerful success of the polio vaccine and the importance of ensuring that all children have access to lifesaving vaccinations around the globe. Poliomyelitis (also known as polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects children under 5 years of age….

In urban areas, crowded HIV treatment facilities with long patient wait times can deter patients from attending their clinical appointments and picking up their medications, ultimately disrupting patient care and compromising patient retention and adherence. Since 2013, Zambia’s national antiretroviral treatment (ART) guidelines have recommended that stable patients be provided with prescriptions for up to…

Hhukwini Clinic in the Hhohho region of Swaziland is a busy health center in the mountainous central-western part of the country. The clinic is visited by about 850 people per month and provides comprehensive primary health care services including diagnosis and treatment for many of the common ailments in Swaziland. It is also one of…

After Zainab Abubakar unexpectedly gave birth at 28 weeks during her first pregnancy, her child survived for just four short hours. Today Zainab describes how fearful she was when, living in an isolated, rural village in Kaduna State in Northern Nigeria, she again went into premature labor at a similar stage during her second pregnancy….

South Africa has the third-highest Tuberculosis (TB) burden and the second-highest drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) burden globally. TB is a curable and preventable disease caused by bacteria spread from person to person through the air. Resistant forms of the disease pose a significant threat to preventing and treating further transmissions. Innovative approaches to expand the use…

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and IKEA Foundation, partnered with the Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat to support scale-up of zinc and ORS, from 2012-2016. The program focused on ensuring consistent  supply and dispensing practices with public and private health providers, and…

From the archives: Monica’s difficult road to a career in health

On January 27, the Government of Malawi and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) hosted a ceremony marking the official transition of newly constructed infrastructure from the Ministry of Health to colleges of nursing and midwifery. In total 11 new classrooms and student hostels were constructed for seven colleges of Nursing and Midwifery. The…

Today, CHAI joins the global community to celebrate Zero Discrimination Day. As a global health organization, CHAI’s staff understands the critical importance of eliminating discrimination and stigma to ensure that all people are treated with dignity and fairness and have access to quality health care. People are dying unnecessarily from AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other…