This scheme was started five years ago as an experiment, with very meagre equipment, which I managed to S^t up myself, and as the venture proved particularly successful, we were permitted by Government to adopt 't as a permanent measure in our district for the following reasons:?(a) The outlay, to begin with was comparatively small; (&) the recurring charges reasonable; (c) the method of first ...

BACKGROUND In the context of an epidemiologic transition in South Africa, in which cardiovascular disease is increasing, little is known about the stroke burden, particularly morbidity in rural populations. Risk factors for stroke are high, with hypertension prevalence of more than 50%. Accurate, up-to-date information on disease burden is essential in planning health services for stroke manage...

BACKGROUND Health services can only be responsive if they are designed to service the needs of the population at hand. In many low and middle income countries, the rate of urbanisation can leave the profile of the rural population quite different from the urban population. As a consequence, the kinds of services required for an urban population may be quite different from that required for a ru...

There has been a large upsurge of tuberculosis (TB) in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly as a result of the co-existing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. Malawi has had a well-run National TB Control Programme (NTP) with good registration and recording of cases. For some years the NTP has had the impression that TB in the country is concentrated around townships and is les...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate alternative strategies for improving the uptake of benefits of a community based health insurance scheme by its poorest members. DESIGN Prospective cluster randomised controlled trial. SETTING Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) community based health insurance scheme in rural India. Participants 713 claimants at baseline (2003) and 1440 claimants two years later ...

Rural development can be a factor in improving the living conditions of people belonging to the low-income class in rural areas, making them self-sufficient, as the overall development process. Rural development requires planning, and one of the crucial factors in the success of development planning, a comprehensive and efficient planning system. This study, based on an analytical descriptive s...

Diabetes prevalence in Tanzania was estimated at 9.1% in 2012 among adults aged 24-65 years - higher than the HIV prevalence in the general population at that time. Health systems in lower- and middle-income countries are not designed for chronic health care, yet the rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes demands chronic care services. To inform policies on diabetes care, w...