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    Assessing the role of non-state actors in health service delivery and health system resilience in Myanmar
    (BioMed Central, 2024-10-24) Than, K.; Bertone, Maria Paola; La, T.; Witter, Sophie
    Background: Due to the weaknesses of the public health system and its low reach, especially in border areas, provision of health services by non-state actors (NSAs) has historically played an important role in Myanmar. NSAs include local and international NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs), but also Ethnic Health Organisations (EHOs) in the border areas, as well as the private (for profit) sector. This study aims to understand the changing role of NSAs in the shifting political environment of Myanmar between 2010 and 2022, and to explore their contribution to health system resilience. Methods: Our study includes three main components: a documentary review (n = 22), key informant interviews (KIIs) at central level (n = 14) and two township-level case studies (13 KIIs, 4 FGDs). Mostly qualitative data were collected in 2022 and synthesized, using a health system resilience framework to structure the analysis. Results: During the transition period (2010–2014) and the new political era (2015–2020), while the country gradually transitioned to a democratic system, the government increasingly recognized NSAs. Initially, engagement with NSAs remained focused on disease-specific activities and government oversight was limited, but later it expanded to health system strengthening, including the start of a “convergence” with ethnic health systems. Progress was relatively slow, but defined by a clear vision and plans. The military coup of February 2021 brought a halt to this progress. Collaboration between government and NSAs was interrupted, and NSAs restored previous practices and parallel systems. Initially, most health service provision stopped, but with time coping strategies emerged, which showed the capacity of NSAs to absorb the shocks (focusing on basic services; using informal communication channels; maintaining buffer stocks of supplies) and adapt (changing modes of delivery and supply chains, and adjusting HRH training). Conclusions: The study highlights the role of NSAs during crises, and provides insights on how the resilience capacities built over time by NSAs to provide services in adverse circumstances have informed the response to the latest crisis. While strategies of absorption and adaptation are noted in the study, we did not identify any transformation strategy – which might indicate the difficulty of NSAs to introduce radical changes when subjected to multiple shocks and a hostile political environment.
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    Provision of mental health and psychosocial support services to health workers and community members in conflict-affected Northwest Syria: a mixed-methods study
    (BioMed Central, 2023-10-04) Bou-Orm, Ibrahim; Moussallem, Marianne; Karam, Joelle; deLara, Manuel; Varma, Vinod; Diaconu, Karin; Apaydin, Murat Can Birand; Van den Bergh, Rafael; Ager, Alastair; Witter, Sophie
    Background: Northwest Syria (NWS) is a conflict area with challenging political, economic, demographic and social dynamics. The region has a high number of internally displaced persons with increasingly disrupted delivery of basic services, including healthcare. Mental health needs have been increasing in the region while the infrastructure and capacity of the health sector has been negatively affected by the conflict. This study aimed to explore the provision of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services to communities in NWS (including healthcare workers) and to assess the experiences of beneficiaries with MHPSS services. Methods: The study followed a mixed-methods research design that included qualitative and participatory methods (44 semi-structured interviews and a group model building workshop with 15 participants) as well as a survey with 462 beneficiaries. Results: Findings suggested an improvement of MHPSS services in the region over the last few years due to the creation of a specific Technical Working Group for MHPSS that contributed to assessment of community needs and support of the MHPSS response. The key elements of this response were: (1) training non-specialized health workers to address the shortage in specialized providers; (2) securing funding and coordination of services between different organizations; and (3) addressing gaps in the availability and geographical distribution of other needed resources, such as medicines. While those elements contributed to improving access to services and the quality of services—especially among health workers seeking MHPSS services—findings suggested gaps in the sustainability of services and a need to scale up those interventions in an integrated approach. Conclusion: The study findings add to the evidence base on the challenges in scaling up MHPSS interventions and their long-term sustainability concerns. Priority actions should address the intermittent funding of the MHPSS response, incorporate MHPSS outputs and outcomes in the reimbursement of routine services, improve coordination between health partners and non-health actors in order to expand the scope of MHPSS response, and address the inequitable availability of resources in the region.