In the third of five papers in the PLoS Medicine series on maternal, neonatal, and child health in sub-Saharan Africa, Sara Bennett and Freddie Ssengooba this week discuss the challenges of getting science into policy in Africa. Dr Bennett, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore USA, and Dr Ssengooba from Makerere University in Uganda argue that that the technical basis for improving maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) in sub-Saharan Africa is largely known, but too often policy and practice are not well informed by science. Developing better policy networks in MNCH, mainstreaming the use of science in maternal, neonatal, and child health, and investing in innovative approaches to develop and applying such science are key, the authors say.
The authors conclude that "as we apply what we already know, we should continue to build institutional and individual capacity for the local adaptation and indigenization of global MNCH evidence to national and sub-national contexts, resources, and constraints."
Funding: No specific funding was received for this piece.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Bennett S, Ssengooba F (2010) Closing the Gaps: From Science to Action in Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Africa. PLoS Med 7(6): e1000298. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000298
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CONTACT:
Sara Bennett
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Department of International Health
615 N Wolfe St
Baltimore, MD 21205
United States of America
14106145137
sbennett@jhsph.edu
PLOS Medicine