Problem Definition
Increasing Malaria cases
and deaths in the women and children of the Democratic Republic of
the Congo from 2005 to 2011.
Intervention
After using the Strategy
Decision Matrix, I have determined that the best course of action was to
increase provisions of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) to the people of the
Congo. In 2011, over 50% of expenditures went toward insecticides and spray
materials while a very small percentage was spent on ITNs. While the number of
deaths and cases has become steady from 2005 to 2011, these numbers are till
increasing. The CDC has stated that "ITNs have been shown to reduce the
death of children under 5 years from all causes by about 20%." About half
of the expenditures used towards insecticides and spray materials will be
allocated to ITNs. Women and children, as the most vulnerable population, will
be shown preference when ITNs are given out.
Stakeholders
Those involved in the
Program Operations:
- Aid organizations like the CDC, WHO, UNICEF, and more
who may provide resources (money, ITNs, etc.) to move the program forward.
- Government - In shaping policies to regulate the
allocation of ITNs
- The people involved in developing the intervention
Those who the Program
affects:
- The women and children who would be using the ITNs
- The different organizations who would be spending their
money
Those interested in the
evaluation results:
- The government of the Congo
- The people who developed the intervention
- The Aid organizations (WHO, CDC, etc.) to update their
information on Malaria treatments and such.
The stakeholders that may oppose my intervention in the Congo's government and some of the AID organizations. These stakeholders would probably disagree with spending so much money on ITNs since they are generally more expensive than insecticides and spray materials and also because they're not very long lasting. In response to this, I would demonstrate to them the uses of the Long Lasting Insecticidal Mosquito Nets that several companies have developed. I would also help them understand that I expect the ITNs to have a greater effect on the number of cases of Malaria victims.
References
"Insecticide
Treated Bed Nets." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 09 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/malaria_worldwide/reduction/itn.html>.
World Malaria Report
2012. Publication no. 119.
World Health Organization, 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/country-profiles/profile_cod_en.pdf>.
I think all of those are really good stakeholders to make note of. I also think that if you focus on more than one intervention you can expand on the list of stakeholders. I also like your use of statistics in the beginning in order to determine an effective intervention plan.
ReplyDeleteNice!
Great thought process.
ReplyDeleteI think your problem definition is great. Be mindful though that if you mention cases and deaths/ women and children, you will be writing about each of these in each section of your paper.
That is, magnitude of both cases and deaths in women and children,key determinants, etc
Or if you want to mention cases in your problem definition and then mention deaths in your paper too - showing that its a consequence of the cases. Just something to consider.
I am somewhat confused by the statement: 'While the number of deaths and cases has become steady from 2005 to 2011, these numbers are till increasing'.
In the first part of the sentence, it seems like the numbers are not changing and then in the second part of the sentence, you mention that they are rising. What do you mean?
'The CDC has stated that "ITNs have been shown to reduce the death of children under 5 years from all causes by about 20%." '
The words I would like to bring to your attention in this statement from your blog is 'all causes'. What causes are these? Is malaria one of them?
Remember that we are looking at malaria. We need numbers showing the effect of ITNs on malaria cases/deaths NOT all causes
Good list of stakeholders.
-Would ITN manufacturers be one of them?
-Communication/media used to educate the masses about the use of the ITNs?
-What about local leaders in the community? Would they help Public Health officials communicate the message of ITN use and teach the local folk in using them?
-What about hospitals? Do you think that they would be affected by the reduced number of malaria cases?
-And would you be specific about the people developing the intervention? Public Health Professionals? Pediatricians? Any combination of professionals?
Can you name the stakeholders that would disagree with you spending so much on ITNs?