Publications

    Madore A, Rosenberg J, Dreisbach T, Weintraub R. Positive Outlier: Health Outcomes in Kerala, India over Time. Harvard Business Publishing. 2018.Abstract

    This case explores how Kerala, India developed a reputation for exemplary health outcomes despite low per capita income. After providing historical background, including the social, political, and health system factors that contributed to a culture of seeking health care, the case describes Kerala’s health system and outcomes. The case describes how the fiscal decline in the latter half of the 20th century led to decreased spending on public services, including health, creating an opening for private-sector providers to meet a growing share of the demand for health services and the impact on out-of-pocket health spending. Readers must think about how emerging health threats such as noncommunicable diseases should be addressed in the 21st century, including the health department’s response and a new initiative to increase capacity in the public health sector, including efforts to improve the quality and reliability of health data through an electronic medical record system. The case concludes with Additional Chief Secretary for Health and Family Welfare Rajeev Sadanandan wondering if the new strategy will succeed and if Kerala can maintain its status as a positive outlier in health for the decades to come.

    Teaching Note available for registered faculty through Harvard Business Publishing and the Case Centre.

    Learning Objectives: to appreciate the relationships between education, literacy, and health; what the components of a health system are; the limitations of health indicators as measures of a national health system’s effectiveness; and, the challenges of sustaining demand and maintaining the supply and quality of public health services over time.

    Key words: health care policy, universal health care, demand generation, health care delivery, health system, health outcomes, social determinants of health

    Rosenberg J, Dreisbach T, Donovan C, Weintraub R. Positive Outlier: Sri Lanka’s Health Outcomes over Time. Harvard Business Publishing. 2018.Abstract

    This case describes the development and structure of Sri Lanka’s health system, which has yielded health outcomes far superior to any of its South Asian neighbors. The case highlights factors supporting the health outcomes, including the availability of free health services to all citizens, government investment in the health workforce, and the care-seeking behavior of Sri Lankan citizens. After providing an overview of Sri Lanka’s history, geography, demographics, and economy, the case traces the evolution of the public sector health system from the precolonial era through the period of heavy investment in health from the 1930s through 1950s and on into the 21st century. The case describes the management of the system and the relationship between the national health ministry and provincial and local governments. It examines how health professionals are trained and deployed throughout the system, the supply chain, and financing. The case then examines the growing private health sector, its relationship with the public sector, and the role of innovation. After a summary of the country’s health outcomes, readers are pushed to think about what it will take to address the changing epidemiological burden to continue to boast exemplary health outcomes and provide quality health care to those who need it.

    ​​​​​​Teaching Note available to registered faculty through Harvard Business Publishing or the Case Centre.

    A productive class discussion will allow readers to appreciate the capabilities of a public payer system to improve the health of the population; the influence of the private sector in a “single payer system” and the downstream effects on demand and supply of services; the return on investment for a country offering free public medical and nursing education; and the relationship between literacy, demand generation, and health outcomes.

    Keywords: Universal health care, health care delivery, health system, health outcomes, social determinants of health.

    Cuneo CN, Rosenberg J, Madore A, Weintraub R. Improving Mental Health Services for Survivors of Sexual Violence in the DRC. Harvard Business Publishing. 2017.Abstract

    This case explores the implementation and evaluation of mental health treatment for victims of conflict-related gender-based violence (GBV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a humanitarian organization based in New York City. Following the contextual background, the case traces the IRC’s work developing a psychosocial support program for GBV survivors starting in 2002. When the Applied Mental Health Research Group (AMHR) at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health evaluates the program in 2008, the IRC begins to consider the potential for its work to inform similar interventions. In 2011, the IRC team collaborated with AMHR to implement two concurrent randomized control trials (RCTs): one on the mental health effects of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and the other on the mental health and financial impact of a social and economic empowerment intervention called the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA). While the time and resources that went into completing the trials expanded the monitoring and evaluation capacity within the IRC and added important evidence to the lean body of global mental health literature, conducting the studies stretched the IRC’s local staff thin and required clarification of priorities and purpose. Had the RCTs had been worth it, and for whom? How could the study findings contribute to improving services for vulnerable populations in the region and beyond? 

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Theory of Change
    Source: Study of Effectiveness of a Social-Economic Intervention for Sexual Violence Survivors in Eastern DRC, November 2014.

    Theory of Change 2
    Source: Group Cognitive Processing Therapy: A Specialized Mental Health Intervention that Supports Improvements in Well-being for Sexual Violence Survivors. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, International Rescue Committee.

    Learning Objectives: A productive class discussion will allow students to appreciate the challenge of meeting human resource needs to provide mental health care, the complexity of implementation and empirical study of mental health services, and the ethics and challenges of conducting randomized controlled trials in conflict settings.

    Keywords: public health, human resources, health care delivery, information management, mental health, scale-up, resource-limited settings, health care policy, data collection, public administration

    Brooks P, Rosenberg J, Weintraub R. The Global Trachoma Mapping Project. Harvard Business Publishing. 2016.Abstract

    This case explores what it took to map the prevalence of trachoma infection in 1,531 districts across 26 countries by directly examining 2.39 million individuals in just three years. Dozens of organizations worked together on the largest standardized mapping project in the world as part of an effort to eliminate blinding trachoma globally by the year 2020. After providing some background on trachoma, early control efforts, and the formation of a global coalition, the case explores the events, strategies, technology, and stakeholders that enabled the mapping project. It describes how the stakeholders worked together, the coordination and management mechanisms used, and the investments required. Given that disease elimination had been achieved only once before, in the case of smallpox, the case asks students to consider how the project’s leaders, Tom Millar and Anthony Solomon, could help maximize returns from trachoma mapping so that the campaign could achieve its ultimate goal of global trachoma elimination within the next five years. Were there ways in which they could leverage efforts to map this neglected tropical disease to inform other disease control programs?

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Life cycle of Trachoma
    Life Cycle of Trachoma. Source: The Carter Center/Al Granberg, International Trachoma Initiative. Available at http://www.neglecteddiseases.gov/target_diseases/trachoma/.

    Learning Objectives: A productive class discussion will allow students to appreciate what contributes to the development of a productive coalition; what it takes to collect quality data at scale; the challenges and benefits of identifying your target population for public health programming; and the tradeoffs between a targeted campaign addressing one disease and bundling efforts for multiple diseases.

    Keywords: Disease mapping, disease elimination, multi-sectoral collaboration, electronic data capture

     

    Rosenberg J, Madore A, Weintraub R. Concept Note: Implementing Universal Health Coverage: The Experience in Thailand, Ghana, Rwanda, and Vietnam. Harvard Business Publishing. 2015.Abstract

    This concept note aims to explore some of the basic principles underlying universal health care and their application in Thailand, Ghana, Rwanda, and Vietnam.

    UHC and Health Financing
    Relationship between UHC and Health Financing. Source: Kutzin, Joseph. Health financing for universal coverage and health system performance: concepts and implications for policy. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2013; 91: 602-611)

    Learning Objectives: To further students’ and instructors’ understanding of universal health coverage. This concept note supports teaching cases in the Global Health Delivery (GHD) Case Collection (e.g., GHD-030: Sin Taxes and Health Financing in the Philippines; GHD-032 Political Leadership in South Africa: National Health Insurance).

    Keywords: Policy design and implementation, political leadership, financing, health insurance, health equity, monitoring and evaluation, universal health coverage, quality of care

    Madore A, Yousif H, Rosenberg J, Desmond C, Weintraub R. Political Leadership in South Africa: National Health Insurance. Harvard Business Publishing. 2015.Abstract

    This case traces the development of national health insurance (NHI) in South Africa under Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi. After providing background on health financing and health insurance policy in South Africa, the case explores Motsoaledi’s approach to realizing universal health coverage by establishing a government-administered NHI system and overhauling primary health care in the public sector. The case highlights the importance of strategic communication and stakeholder engagement in the highly political process of health system reform. It focuses on the complexity of the NHI policy process and the steps Motsoaledi and his team took to increase standards and accountability for public primary health care facilities. It concludes with the national health department rolling out new tools for monitoring facility progress and Motsoaledi awaiting approval of his team’s 19th draft plan for NHI, wondering what to do in the meantime to improve health care.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    National Department of Health, South Africa
    National Department of Health, South Africa (Source: Global Health Delivery case writers)

    Learning Objectives: A productive class discussion will allow students to appreciate the relationship between policy development, financing, and implementation of public health care delivery; the complexity of implementing standards and accountability for primary care infrastructure; and the work and negotiation needed to build consensus among private and public payers and providers with competing financial interests to generate greater value in health care delivery.

    Keywords: Political leadership, health system strengthening, stakeholder engagement, primary health care reform, policy development, politics and health care, health care financing, health insurance, strategy

     

    Madore A, Yousif H, Rosenberg J, Desmond C, Weintraub R. Political Leadership in South Africa: HIV. Harvard Business Publishing. 2015.Abstract

    This case describes the rapid scale-up of South Africa’s national HIV/AIDS response from 2009 until 2015. After providing background on apartheid, the impact of HIV/AIDS denialism, and an overview of the health system in South Africa, the case follows Minster of Health Aaron Motsoaledi’s leadership of the national department of health’s HIV/AIDS program. The response included four key components: a countrywide counseling and testing campaign, capacity building to increase access to treatment, an overhaul of the ARV bidding and procurement processes, and promotion of voluntary male medical circumcision. The case highlights how Motsoaledi and his team leveraged expertise and resources from domestic and international organizations to support ambitious testing and treatment goals. It focuses on Motsoaledi’s communication strategies and the factors that influenced his planning and implementation decisions. The case ends with Motsoaledi considering how to advance the national HIV/AIDS program amid larger health system issues, including overcrowding and limited monitoring capacity.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Promotion of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV
    Promotion of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV (source: Global Health Delivery Project case writers)

    Learning Objectives: A productive class discussion will allow students to appreciate how politics can shape the trajectory of an epidemic; the importance of leveraging existing resources to scale services in a public health system; the challenges of transitioning from an emergency response to a sustainable public program; and the competing interests of a vertical intervention program and the complex health system within which it operates.

    Keywords: Political leadership, data and health policy, counseling and testing, adherence, advocacy, HIV treatment, health care delivery, cross-sector collaboration, vertical programs, value creation, drug procurement, civil society, strategy

     

    Madore A, Rosenberg J, Weintraub R. “Sin Taxes” and Health Financing in the Philippines. Harvard Business Publishing. 2015.Abstract

    This case traces the implementation of tobacco tax policy and health system reforms in the Philippines from 2009 to 2015 in the context of the global tobacco control movement, the economic and political influence of the Philippine tobacco industry, and the Philippine health system. After providing background on the prevalence and costs of smoking in the Philippines, the case follows the steps taken by a diverse group of actors to design, promote, and implement higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol products, the primary goals of which were to reduce smoking and raise funds to achieve universal health care. The case highlights the strategies used to counter opposition from the tobacco industry and allied politicians. It focuses on Health Secretary Enrique Ona’s efforts to support sin tax reform and how the country used the resulting revenues to try to improve health care and health insurance coverage. It ends with Ona contemplating the impact of his investments in national health insurance and public health infrastructure as a new health secretary takes his place.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    From left to right: House of Representatives; Woman selling cigarettes
    From left to right: House of Representatives; Woman selling cigarettes. Source: Global Health Delivery Project case writers.

    Learning Objectives: A productive class discussion will allow students to appreciate the complexity and trade-offs governments may face in stimulating their economy, regulating industry, and improving public health; the importance of data in driving and sustaining policy reform; the role of financing policies and funding as tools for health system strengthening and value creation when leveraged strategically; and the potential for health to unify different actors and sectors to generate new policy and restructure fiscal and financial systems.

    Keywords: Health insurance, health care financing, tobacco control, smoking, universal health care implementation, policy, cross sector collaboration, health system reform, political leadership, management

    Wachter K, Rosenberg J, Singal R, Weintraub R. Reducing Child Malnutrition in Maharashtra, India. Harvard Business Publishing. 2015.Abstract

    This case demonstrates what it takes to address a chronic, intergenerational public health issue. It explores the drivers behind the reduction of malnutrition in Maharashtra State, India, from 2001–2013. Specifically, the case examines the strategies and management decisions of leaders of the government-established Rajmata Jijau Mother-Child Health and Nutrition Mission as they worked to reduce the incidence of malnutrition in children and women through a multi-sectoral collaborative approach.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Stunting Syndrome from Conception through Adulthood
    Stunting Syndrome from Conception through Adulthood. Dark blue denotes the period between conception and 2 years (‘the first 1000 days’) when interventions are most effective. Light blue denotes the time period between 2 years and mid-childhood and during the adolescent growth spurt when some catch-up in linear growth may occur. The light blue period before Conceptus reflects evidence that dietary interventions targeting stunted women pre-conception improve birth outcomes. Gray denotes periods when the stunting syndrome appears unresponsive to interventions. Dashed line–a stunted child whose environment becomes more affluent with abundant access to food, causing excessive weight gain; solid line–a stunted child whose environment remains resource-constrained/food insecure. Source: Adapted by case writers with assistance from Isabelle Celentano from Pendergast AJ, Humphrey JH. “The stunting syndrome in developing countries,” Paediatr Int Child Health. 2014;34(4):250-265; doi:10.1179/2046905514Y.0000000158.

    Learning Objectives: A productive class discussion will allow students to appreciate how to configure specific interventions and indicators to ameliorate and measure malnutrition for a local setting; the complexity and importance of crafting policies and generating political will across sectors in support of nutrition programs; and the role of a strong community workforce in enabling nutrition programs to reach the target population.

    Keywords: Maternal and child health, children, intergenerational disease, public-private partnership, nutrition, strategy, political leadership, scale-up, community health workers, health care delivery, malnutrition, cross-sector collaboration

    Charumilind S, Jain SH, Rhatigan J. HIV in Thailand: The 100% Condom Program. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    Thailand’s 100% Condom Program, which was implemented nationwide in 1991, is widely credited with averting a generalized HIV epidemic in that nation. This case traces the development and implementation of Thailand’s 100% Condom Program including its conception, the development of a pilot program in one province, and the program’s early regional expansion. It frames these events within the country’s general political, economic, and health situation; the epidemiology and public perception of HIV/AIDS; the government’s early HIV policy; and the economics of the commercial sex industry. The case explores how public health interventions are designed, refined, and spread. The case ends in early 1991 with the program’s founder trying to find ways to spread the successful regional program nationwide.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Sex establishments in Patpong Area, including go-go bars and members clubs
    Sex establishments in Patpong Area, including go-go bars and members clubs. Source: "HIV in Thailand: The 100% Condom Program" case.

    Learning Objectives: To understand the principles behind the design of disease prevention programs and to examine how successful programs align incentives among various stakeholders to achieve their objectives.

    Supporting Content: This case has a supplementary summary of history and next steps, titled The 100% Condom Program: Part B.

    Keywords: HIV prevention, stakeholder alignment, harm reduction

     
    Bitton A, Rosenberg J, Clarke L. Tobacco Control in South Africa. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    This case reviews the policy changes in tobacco control in post-apartheid South Africa from 1994 to 1996 under the leadership of Minister of Health Dr. Nkosazana Zuma. After providing contextual information on South Africa, including historical, demographic, social, and health information, the case delves into the history of tobacco and of global tobacco control efforts. The case then details the history of tobacco in South Africa, including data collection, epidemiology, early control efforts, and the policy efforts of the mid-1990s. The case describes the African National Congress (ANC)’s policy victories under Zuma’s leadership. Knowing that tobacco disproportionately affected certain racial and minority groups, Zuma made tobacco control a top priority. With the support of the President, local tobacco experts, and anti-tobacco advocates, Zuma worked hard to break previous connections between the government and the tobacco industry and to reduce smoking. The case ends in 1996 when smoking prevalence had declined to 32% from 34% in 1995, but South Africa still had one of the highest levels in the developing world. As the ANC was preparing to enact the new Constitution that reinforced health promotion, Zuma had to determine what her next move would be for tobacco control and how she would prioritize it with the other health needs of the country.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Tobacco Control as Health Promotion
    Tobacco Control as Health Promotion. Source: Reddy, SP and Swart D. Unraveling Health Promotion: A Framework for Action: Tobacco Control. MRC: 1998. (Exhibit 8 in "Tobacco Control in South Africa" case.)

    Learning Objectives: To understand the political and economic forces that impact tobacco control legislation in a country undergoing an epidemiological shift, the role of research and data, and the value of health communication, chronic disease prevention, and advocacy in health care delivery.

    Supporting Content: This case has a supplementary summary of history and next steps, titled Tobacco Control in South Africa: Next Steps.

    Keywords: Chronic disease prevention, advocacy, health policy, tobacco control

     

    Bitton A, Taranto L, Rosenberg J, Kadar E. Tobacco Control in South Africa: Next Steps. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    This case is a supplement to Tobacco Control in South Africa, which reviews the policy changes in tobacco control in post-apartheid South Africa from 1994 to 1996 under the leadership of Minister of Health Dr. Nkosazana Zuma. This case explains what happened after 1996, the steps Zuma took to continue her fight against tobacco (including expanding research capacity, getting increases in excise taxes passed, and pushing national legislation through) and what happened after her departure in 1999.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Relationship between Excise Tax Rate and Cigarette Consumption in South Africa
    Relationship between Excise Tax Rate and Cigarette Consumption in South Africa. Source: van Walbeek C, WHO. Tobacco Excise Taxation in South Africa. (Exhibit 2 in "Tobacco Control in South Africa: Next Steps" case.)

    Learning Objectives: To understand the political and economic forces and the role of research and data in implementing tobacco control legislation in a country undergoing an epidemiological shift, and the value of health communication, chronic disease prevention, and advocacy in health care delivery.

    Supporting Content: This case is the supplement to Tobacco Control in South Africa.

    Keywords: Chronic disease prevention, advocacy, health policy, tobacco control

    Arnquist S, Ellner A, Weintraub R. HIV/AIDS in Brazil: Delivering Prevention in a Decentralized Health System. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    This case describes the Brazilian National AIDS Program's strategy in the late 2000s to prevent HIV infections. The case is set against the context of a heterogeneous, concentrated epidemic and decentralized public health system that guaranteed access to care and treatment. The case traces the nation's response to HIV from the late 1980s through 2009 via a human rights framework, highlighting the cooperation with civil society. Readers are challenged to understand the relationships between HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, decentralization and sustainability.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Decentralization Policy M&E Indicators
    Decentralization Policy M&E Indicators. Source: National Department of STD, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis. (Exhibit 14 from "HIV/AIDS in Brazil: Delivering Prevention in a Decentralized Health System" case.)

    Learning Objectives: Students should understand the tradeoffs involved in a decentralized governance structure, the levers a central government department can pull to influence local health care delivery in a decentralized health system, and how civil society advocacy contributes to program sustainability.

    Keywords: Human rights, HIV prevention, Sustainability, Role of civil society, Strategy

    ole‐MoiYoi K, Rodriguez W. Building Local Capacity for Health Commodity Manufacturing: A to Z Textile Mills Ltd. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    This case focuses on the establishment of the Olyset® Consortium—a public-private partnership that was created to facilitate the manufacture of long-lasting insecticidal bed nets to prevent malaria infection in sub-Saharan Africa—and A to Z Textile Mills (“A to Z”), the manufacturer of the nets in Arusha, Tanzania. The case examines how the public-private partnership was developed, its use of an incentive-based supply chain, A to Z’s business model and impact, and the sustainability of the venture. The case reveals that despite significant success in attaining objectives, the misaligned incentives of the many partners presented major obstacles to the overall sustainability of A to Z’s Olyset® production line.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Long Lasting Insecticide Nets and Olyset Production Process
    Long Lasting Insecticide Nets and Olyset Production Process. Source: A to Z Textile Mills Ltd., Arusha, Tanzania (Case Exhibit 9).

    Learning Objectives: To understand the potential for public-private partnerships to leverage innovation and scalability from the private sector and quality and equitable access from the public sector and to examine the costs and benefits of local manufacturing of technologically complex global health commodities in resource-limited settings.

    Keywords: Public-private partnerships, incentive-based supply chain, global health commodity manufacturing, malaria prevention

    Arnquist S, Weintraub R. HIV/AIDS in Indonesia: Building a Coordinated National Response. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    This case documents Indonesia’s progress in developing a coordinated national HIV/AIDS response. Within the context of a new democratic government, a weak civil society sector, a newly decentralized and underfunded public health system, and a religiously conservative environment, the case describes how international donors financed and directed HIV/AIDS-related efforts for the first 15 years of the epidemic. In 2006 the National AIDS Commission (NAC) was restructured and awarded funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). The case documents how DFID’s flexible financing enabled the NAC to develop a single national strategy, a national monitoring and evaluation framework, and a system of local AIDS commissions. The case ends in 2009 with the NAC preparing to assume a new role as one of three Principal Recipients of the Global Fund to Fight, AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The NAC leadership must contemplate how to sustain and further the progress made in scaling up HIV prevention services while taking on new responsibilities as a Global Fund Principal Recipient.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Map of Indonesia Showing HIV Program Implementers, 2005
    Map of Indonesia Showing HIV Program Implementers, 2005. Source: Indonesia National AIDS Commission. (Exhibit 1 "HIV/AIDS in Indonesia: Building a Coordinated National Response" case.)

    Learning Objectives: To understand the impact of external financing, donor-driven agendas, and a national champion in creating a multisectoral response to HIV in a religiously conservative, lower middle-income country.

    Keywords: National strategy, sustainability, HIV prevention, flexible donor financing

    Rosenberg J, Rhatigan J, Kim JY. The Peruvian National Tuberculosis Control Program. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    This case examines effective public health management strategies by examining the turnaround of National Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program (NTP) in Peru during the 1990s under Director Dr. Pedro Suarez. The case presents background information on the NTP before 1990 and situates its underperformance within the political and economic context of Peru at this time. It describes how Suarez transformed the NTP from an essentially bankrupt program in August 1990 to a model program, using effective management techniques. It concludes with the program struggling to improve outcomes among a group of patients failing its standardized protocols.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Health Center in Peru
    Health center in Peru; Credit: Julie Rosenberg Talbot

    Learning Objectives: To understand the operations of a national tuberculosis control program and to learn how effective management techniques can be employed in public health programs to improve performance with an emphasis on basic principles of quality improvement.

    Keywords: Program management, leadership, vertical programming, public health, tuberculosis control

    Phillips E, Rhatigan J. Treating Malnutrition in Haiti with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    This case describes the introduction of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) to treatment programs for severe acute malnutrition in children six months to five years old. It describes how RUTFs transformed malnutrition treatment in emergency and non-emergency contexts and how their use has evolved since they were introduced in 1999. The case examines RUTF policy in Haiti including the results of a pivotal pilot program and the introduction of RUTFs. The case explores the decision of the chief of Haiti’s Department of Nutrition to use RUTF for the treatment of moderately acute malnutrition in Haiti and leaves readers grappling with the question of how to implement a this policy.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Model Plumpy’nut Sachet
    Model Plumpy’nut Sachet. Source: http://www.lle.rcs.k12.tn.us/Teachers/guidance_page/Images/plumpybag.jpg. Accessed June 17, 2009. (Exhibit 7 from "Treating Malnutrition in Haiti with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods" case.)

    Learning Objectives: To understand the global public health approaches to malnutrition and its prevention, and to examine the role of ready to use therapeutic foods in malnutrition treatment and prevention programs.

    Keywords: Childhood malnutrition, health policy implementation

     

    Rosenberg J, Rhatigan J. Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment in Peru. Harvard Business Publishing. 2011.Abstract

    This case traces the development of a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment program in Peru between 1994 and 1999 by Socios en Salud (SES), a community-based nonprofit organization, in a shantytown of Northern Lima called Carabayllo. After providing some background on existing TB treatment services and the organizational history of SES, it follows the organization up to 1999 and frames its work within the context of international MDR-TB policy. The case presents background information on the epidemiology of TB and MDR-TB in Peru as well as the shantytown of Carabayllo. It describes how SES implemented community-based treatment for cadre of patients with MDR-TB and achieved cure rates comparable with those obtained in the US. The case begins with a vignette that illuminates the problem of MDR-TB from a patient’s perspective and ends with the program needing to strategize about how to scale-up and expand its reach to more patients.

    Teaching Note available through Harvard Business Publishing.

    Outdoor sputum collection booth to prevent TB transmission in (MOH) national hospital in northern shantytown of Peru
    Outdoor sputum collection booth to prevent TB transmission in (MOH) national hospital in northern shantytown of Peru; Credit: Julie Rosenberg Talbot

    Learning Objectives: To understand strategies that innovative programs use to improve access to health care and to explore ways that community health workers can deliver complex medical interventions within well-designed public health programs.

    Keywords: Community health workers, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis treatment, policy change, advocacy