Donela Besada
Biographic Data
| ID | 6332696 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Donela Besada |
| GIVEN NAMES | Donela |
| FAMILY NAME | Besada |
| SIGNATURE | BESADA D |
| AFFILIATIONS | South African Medical Research Council |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2020-5244 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 25 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The costs, outcomes and returns on investment of a package of intersectoral interventions for mental, neurological, and substance-use disorders, and intellectual disabilities in South Africa
South Africa faces a significant burden from mental, neurological, and substance-use (MNS) conditions, with a substantial treatment gap that hampers the country's progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). Despite National Health Insurance (NHI) reforms, equity in access, affordability and preparedness remain concerns. The South African Mental Health Investment Case (MHIC) was commissioned to evaluate the costs and benefits of implementing …
Costs of common perinatal mental health problems in South Africa
Whilst important progress has been made in South Africa with regards to mental health policies and interventions that include assessment and management of perinatal mental health problems, substantial underinvestment prevents progress. Findings from this study strengthen the economic case for investing in perinatal mental health care
Digital messaging to support control for type 2 diabetes (StAR2D)
Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN70768808. Registered 1 July 2015, http://www.isrctn.com/I ISRCTN70768808
Mental health system costs, resources and constraints in South Africa
The inclusion of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals represents a global commitment to include mental health among the highest health and development priorities for investment. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as South Africa, contemplating mental health system scale-up embedded into wider universal health coverage-related health system transformations, require detailed and locally derived estimates on existing mental…
Costs of implementing integrated community case management (iCCM) in six African countries
BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa still reports the highest rates of under-five mortality. Low cost, high impact interventions exist, however poor access remains a challenge. Integrated community case management (iCCM) was introduced to improve access to essential services for children 2-59 months through diagnosis, treatment and referral services by community health workers for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. This paper presents the results of an …
“If donors woke up tomorrow and said we can't fund you, what would we do?” A health system dynamics analysis of implementation of PMTCT option B+ in Uganda
BACKGROUND: In October 2012 Uganda extended its prevention of mother to child HIV transmission (PMTCT) policy to Option B+, providing lifelong antiretroviral treatment for HIV positive pregnant and breastfeeding women. The rapid changes and adoptions of new PMTCT policies have not been accompanied by health systems research to explore health system preparedness to implement such programmes. The implementation of Option B+ provides many lessons wh…
Reduction in child mortality in Ethiopia
BACKGROUND: To examine changes in under-5 mortality, coverage of child survival interventions and nutritional status of children in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2011. Using the Lives Saved Tool, the impact of changes in coverage of child survival interventions on under-5 lives saved was estimated. METHODS: Estimates of child mortality were generated using three Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys undertaken between 2000 and 2011. Coverage indica…
Strategies to improve male involvement in PMTCT Option B+ in four African countries
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends that antiretroviral therapy be started as soon as possible, irrespective of stage of HIV infection. This 'test and treat' approach highlights the need to ensure that men are involved in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). This article presents findings from a rapid appraisal of strategies to increase male partner involvement in PMTCT services in Uganda, Democratic Republic o…
The ‘community’ in community case management of childhood illnesses in Malawi
BACKGROUND: Malawi has achieved a remarkable feat in reducing its under-5 mortality in time to meet its MDG 4 target despite high levels of poverty, low female literacy rates, recurrent economic crises, a severe shortage of human resources for health, and poor health infrastructure. The country's community-based delivery platform (largely headed by Health Surveillance Assistants, or HSAs) has been well established since the 1960s, although their …
Does adjusting for recall in trend analysis affect coverage estimates for maternal and child health indicators? An analysis of DHS and Mics survey data
BackgroundThe Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) are the major data sources in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for evaluating health service coverage. For certain maternal and child health (MCH) indicators, the two surveys use different recall periods: 5 years for DHS and 2 years for MICS.ObjectiveWe explored whether the different recall periods for DHS and MICS affect coverage trend analys…
Combination HIV prevention for female sex workers
Assessment of Malawi’s success in child mortality reduction through the lens of the Catalytic Initiative Integrated Health Systems Strengthening programme
BACKGROUND: Malawi is estimated to have achieved its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 target. This paper explores factors influencing progress in child survival in Malawi including coverage of interventions and the role of key national policies. METHODS: We performed a retrospective evaluation of the Catalytic Initiative (CI) programme of support (2007-2013). We developed estimates of child mortality using four population household surveys und…
The role of ‘hidden’ community volunteers in community-based health service delivery platforms
Community-based research on child survival in sub-Saharan Africa has focussed on the increased provision of curative health services by a formalised cadre of lay community health workers (CHWs), but we have identified a particular configuration, that deserves closer scrutiny. We identified a two-tiered CHW system, with the first tier being the lessor known or 'hidden' community/village level volunteers and the second tier being formal, paid CHWs,…
Mental health system costs, resources and constraints in South Africa
The inclusion of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals represents a global commitment to include mental health among the highest health and development priorities for investment. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as South Africa, contemplating mental health system scale-up embedded into wider universal health coverage-related health system transformations, require detailed and locally derived estimates on existing mental…
Combination HIV prevention for female sex workers
Assessment of Malawi’s success in child mortality reduction through the lens of the Catalytic Initiative Integrated Health Systems Strengthening programme
BACKGROUND: Malawi is estimated to have achieved its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 target. This paper explores factors influencing progress in child survival in Malawi including coverage of interventions and the role of key national policies. METHODS: We performed a retrospective evaluation of the Catalytic Initiative (CI) programme of support (2007-2013). We developed estimates of child mortality using four population household surveys und…
The role of ‘hidden’ community volunteers in community-based health service delivery platforms
Community-based research on child survival in sub-Saharan Africa has focussed on the increased provision of curative health services by a formalised cadre of lay community health workers (CHWs), but we have identified a particular configuration, that deserves closer scrutiny. We identified a two-tiered CHW system, with the first tier being the lessor known or 'hidden' community/village level volunteers and the second tier being formal, paid CHWs,…
Reduction in child mortality in Ethiopia
BACKGROUND: To examine changes in under-5 mortality, coverage of child survival interventions and nutritional status of children in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2011. Using the Lives Saved Tool, the impact of changes in coverage of child survival interventions on under-5 lives saved was estimated. METHODS: Estimates of child mortality were generated using three Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys undertaken between 2000 and 2011. Coverage indica…
Strategies to improve male involvement in PMTCT Option B+ in four African countries
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends that antiretroviral therapy be started as soon as possible, irrespective of stage of HIV infection. This 'test and treat' approach highlights the need to ensure that men are involved in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). This article presents findings from a rapid appraisal of strategies to increase male partner involvement in PMTCT services in Uganda, Democratic Republic o…
The ‘community’ in community case management of childhood illnesses in Malawi
BACKGROUND: Malawi has achieved a remarkable feat in reducing its under-5 mortality in time to meet its MDG 4 target despite high levels of poverty, low female literacy rates, recurrent economic crises, a severe shortage of human resources for health, and poor health infrastructure. The country's community-based delivery platform (largely headed by Health Surveillance Assistants, or HSAs) has been well established since the 1960s, although their …
Does adjusting for recall in trend analysis affect coverage estimates for maternal and child health indicators? An analysis of DHS and Mics survey data
BackgroundThe Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) are the major data sources in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for evaluating health service coverage. For certain maternal and child health (MCH) indicators, the two surveys use different recall periods: 5 years for DHS and 2 years for MICS.ObjectiveWe explored whether the different recall periods for DHS and MICS affect coverage trend analys…
Costs of implementing integrated community case management (iCCM) in six African countries
BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa still reports the highest rates of under-five mortality. Low cost, high impact interventions exist, however poor access remains a challenge. Integrated community case management (iCCM) was introduced to improve access to essential services for children 2-59 months through diagnosis, treatment and referral services by community health workers for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. This paper presents the results of an …
“If donors woke up tomorrow and said we can't fund you, what would we do?” A health system dynamics analysis of implementation of PMTCT option B+ in Uganda
BACKGROUND: In October 2012 Uganda extended its prevention of mother to child HIV transmission (PMTCT) policy to Option B+, providing lifelong antiretroviral treatment for HIV positive pregnant and breastfeeding women. The rapid changes and adoptions of new PMTCT policies have not been accompanied by health systems research to explore health system preparedness to implement such programmes. The implementation of Option B+ provides many lessons wh…
Mental health system costs, resources and constraints in South Africa
The inclusion of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals represents a global commitment to include mental health among the highest health and development priorities for investment. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as South Africa, contemplating mental health system scale-up embedded into wider universal health coverage-related health system transformations, require detailed and locally derived estimates on existing mental…
Digital messaging to support control for type 2 diabetes (StAR2D)
Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN70768808. Registered 1 July 2015, http://www.isrctn.com/I ISRCTN70768808
Costs of common perinatal mental health problems in South Africa
Whilst important progress has been made in South Africa with regards to mental health policies and interventions that include assessment and management of perinatal mental health problems, substantial underinvestment prevents progress. Findings from this study strengthen the economic case for investing in perinatal mental health care
The costs, outcomes and returns on investment of a package of intersectoral interventions for mental, neurological, and substance-use disorders, and intellectual disabilities in South Africa
South Africa faces a significant burden from mental, neurological, and substance-use (MNS) conditions, with a substantial treatment gap that hampers the country's progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). Despite National Health Insurance (NHI) reforms, equity in access, affordability and preparedness remain concerns. The South African Mental Health Investment Case (MHIC) was commissioned to evaluate the costs and benefits of implementing …
Medicine (12 works) · Environmental health (10 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (9 works) · Nursing (8 works) · Population (8 works) · Economic growth (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Geography (6 works) · Public health (6 works) · Psychological intervention (5 works)