Dear HIFA colleagues,
Warm greetings from Tanzania.
Reflecting on Question 2 — *my experience of open access as a healthcare professional and reader* — I find that OA has played a quiet but powerful role in bridging what I call the “last mile” between evidence and practice.
In many community health contexts, particularly in low-resource settings, access to peer-reviewed knowledge through open platforms has enabled better-informed advocacy, design of training materials, and gender-responsive program adaptation.
However, the experience also reveals a paradox: while access to full-text articles has improved, many health workers and local researchers still face challenges translating OA content into actionable guidance. Language barriers, limited internet access, and the lack of synthesized, context-specific summaries often dilute the potential impact of OA on day-to-day practice.
Perhaps this is where the open-access movement can evolve — not just opening doors to research, but opening pathways for its practical use at the frontline of health service delivery.
Warm regards,
*Rabia Khaji*
Tanzania | Member, HIFA Open Access Working Group
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*Ms. Rabia A. Khaji*
Head of MEL and TB Portfolio
*SHDEPHA**+* *Network*, Igomelo Street, plot no 114, P.O.BOX 564, Kahama,
Shinyanga, Tanzania, Tel: +255 753 554 558, Mobile: +255 684 457 865
Skype ID: RabiaAbeid Twitter:@rabia_abeid Instagram: abeidrabia
Email: rabiabeid@gmail.com /rabia.abeid@ <rabia_abeid@yahoo.com>shdepha.org
Web: *https://shdepha.org/ <https://shdepha.org/>*
HIFA profile: Rabia Abeid Khaji is the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation and TB Portfolio at SHDEPHA+ in Tanzania. Her professional work is fundamentally centered on overcoming barriers to health information access, particularly for healthcare professionals and vulnerable communities in low-resource settings. Her experience includes: - Gender and Equity Focus: She recently led a comprehensive TB gender assessment for Tanzania and contributed to the national TB Gender Operational Plan, directly engaging with the challenges of equitable access to health information and publishing.[...] She is a member of the HIFA Open Access working group. https://www.hifa.org/support/members/rabia rabiabeid AT gmail.com