Supporting the mental wellbeing of Community Health Workers
In May 2020, the George Institute for Global Health and the Thematic Working Group on Community Health Workers (CHWs) of Health Systems Global collaborated on a survey to assess the availability of resources that support the mental wellbeing of CHWs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey received 74 complete responses (25% from India; 8% from Kenya; 5% from Peru amongst many other countries including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal, the Philippines and South Africa) from a range of organisations, predominantly those working directly with CHWs. A key finding was that while ~50% of organisations noticed mental health symptoms among CHWs and 55% were providing support via mechanisms such as online training and Whatsapp peer support, thus far these interventions have not been evaluated and major gaps persist in supporting the mental health of CHWs.
In response, we are planning a virtual workshop to identify strategies for:
disseminating gender-sensitive resources to CHWs, especially those working in LMICs, that can help them manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other symptoms of mental distress;
encouraging uptake of such resources, despite stigma around mental illness and competing demands on the CHWs’ time;
developing a plan for evaluating the acceptability and effectiveness of these resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The review found that 27 (54%) apps focussed on dissemination of untargeted COVID-19-related information on preventative strategies and 19 (32%) on monitoring the movements of quarantined individuals 27 (54%). Eight (16%) had a contact tracing and hotspot identification function.
The role of effective communication while sustaining public health systems
Monday, May 25, 2020 Leading experts from the public health sector shared their views on sustaining public health systems through effective communication and the learnings one can take away from the ongoing pandemic at the second edition of the COVID Series dialogue organised by SPAG in partnership with The George Institute of Global Health, India and Health Issues India on Thursday last.
The session began with Prof Jha highlighting the current state of India’s public health systems and the communication around it.
He said, “There is a need to build a robust healthcare system in the country. We have had a chaotic messaging, taking the example of hydroxychloroquine and the absence of scientists with public health experts discussing important issues.”
Prof Jha added: “There is a need to demand data and maintain transparency since it is the right of the citizens of the country. This can only be achieved through a vigilant communications strategy.”
Adding to that, Anjali Nayyar stated, “We haven’t learnt anything from the past. Our communication has to be more consistent and based on science. As long as we stick to science, we’ll be in a good place. Health is not an isolated vertical. There will be economic downturns if a robust healthcare system is not taken seriously.”
The panelists also discussed the learnings from HIV-AIDS and how communication was used during that public health crisis to build awareness and break stigmatisation, which subsequently led to public health stability.
Emphasising on the need for communication to be used effectively, Aman Gupta said, “There is a need to build an improved communications network from a behavioural perspective to put a credible message for people to learn from.”
Denise Gray-Felder added, “Effective communication is never one way. Social response plays a very important role in the health sector, especially while dealing with a pandemic. Moreover, any miscommunication is harmful. It is very important to always push back and question the sources. Any incorrect information must be responded to immediately.”
“One challenge with COVID-19 has been the new information that emerges every day. People are adapting to it on a daily basis,” said Prof Jha during the discussion. “There is also a lot of responsibility on part of health care professionals and scientists to ensure transparency,” he added
The webinar ended with a call to action where all the panellists spoke about the road ahead. Public health and its priorities should continue to remain in focus and “we need to demystify science and make it simpler for different stakeholders to understand,” concluded the panellists.
