This project aims to map and analyse global and national governance of childhood pneumonia (CP) control through examination of existing health policies, financing mechanisms and health system analysis. Lois will investigate the extent of neglect at the international level and look at the extent of neglect at the domestic level, uncovering if and why there are differences when comparing global to national prioritisation, what the local effects of this are and how Bangladesh’s policies have adapted to tackle CP.

Globally, childhood pneumonia (CP) remains the leading infectious cause of death among children under five. However, the disease receives less prioritisation and funding in global health when compared to other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and polio. Thus, CP can be described as a neglected health issue at the global level due to lack of synergy among key stakeholders and current agenda-setting practices between influential global health actors.

Bangladesh is typically seen as a success story due to huge reductions in CP in the last few decades. Nevertheless, it remains the 13th highest burden country globally for CP. As such, Bangladesh offers a unique example of what governments are doing to address CP, despite the lack of global prioritisation. Due to the complex wider determinants of health that need to be considered when tackling CP, this disease is a useful litmus test of how well a health system is functioning.

This project aims to map and analyse global and national governance of CP control through examination of existing health policies, financing mechanisms and health system analysis. Lois will investigate the extent of neglect at the international level and look at the extent of neglect at the domestic level, uncovering if and why there are differences when comparing global to national prioritisation, what the local effects of this are and how Bangladesh’s policies have adapted to tackle CP.

For further information, see: "https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/respire/phd-studentships/lois-king"