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This executive summary presents a summary of the main report which describes how British health volunteers help to make big improvements in health in other countries whilst at the same time benefiting the UK. It argues that even more could be achieved with better organisation and support and that more people can be involved through virtual communication as well as by actually travelling abroad

This article focuses on the effective management of depression in low- and middle-income countries, reviewing the evidence on efficacy of treatments and delivery of interventions derived from those countries to the extent possible

This paper reviews a model of health care delivery for the poorest, developed in Kenya. "It illustrates that a pro-poor health system can be developed if the true representatives of the poorest are enabled to participate in health care delivery, and good governance and proper systems are established...With the active involvement of the community in a mutually supportive manner, the utilisation of services and access to basic health care for the poorest can be improved"

Drawing on the accounts from the World banks ‘Voices of the Poor’ this booklet looks at the intimate link between health and poverty and the need for health to be central to attempts at poverty reduction. Three key lessons are: [1] People view and value their health in a holistic sense, as a balance of physical, psychological and community well-being, consistent with the WHO view of health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. [2] People overwhelmingly link disease and ill-health to poverty, while poverty is also seen in terms of instability, worry, shame, sickness, humiliation and powerless-ness. [3] Health is valued not only in its own right, but because it is crucial to economic survival. Other lessons include: the fact that ‘poor people’ are not homogenous and in particular women and men, and the young and old, experience poverty and ill-health quite differently. Gender differences include the fact that men access and are seen as more entitled to formal health care, while women more often draw on traditional and alternative health services or defer their own treatment. Attitudes of health staff often appalling. Humiliating treatment by health personnel who treat people as ‘worse than dogs’ was a common experience and barrier to getting treatment. Access to health facilities, rarely built in poor areas, and often too costly to access are a problem. WHO concludes that "there can be no real progress on poverty reduction, or improvement in health outcomes, unless economic and social inequities are tackled"

This is a report of research to identify reasons for low utilisation of Tuberculosis (TB) services by women. More specifically the objectives were to identify gender differences in perception and responses to symptoms of TB and gender differences in care-seeking patterns. It describes these patterns, and identifies barriers to care-seeking. It also recommends strategies for addressing the differences and the barriers identified

Describes a study investigating reasons for the use or non-use of antenatal care services and malaria treatment among pregnant women living in rural areas in Uganda