Africa: What Africa Must Obtain Common Well being Protection

Whereas many African nations have made commitments to attaining UHC and have carried out numerous well being insurance policies and programmes, challenges persist.

Common Well being Protection (UHC) is a world well being purpose aimed toward making certain that, by 2030, all individuals have entry to the important well being providers they want with out struggling monetary hardship. Whereas many African nations have made commitments to attaining UHC and have carried out numerous well being insurance policies and programmes, challenges persist.

PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Nike Adebowale-Tambe, sat with Lolem Ngong, a world public well being skilled on the simply concluded Worldwide Convention on Public Well being in Africa (CPHIA) to debate Africa’s push to realize UHC by 2030. Ms Ngong can be the Chief of Workers to the group of CEOs of Amref Well being Africa.

PT: What are the important thing challenges hampering the efforts of African international locations in attaining Common Well being Protection?

Ngong: We solely have seven years to realize Common Well being Protection (UHC) and the African area nonetheless has a lot of work to do. In 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced the bold purpose of accomplishing UHC by 2030 in help of the Sustainable Improvement Targets. So far, most of our African international locations have made sturdy commitments/declarations on UHC, however only a few have a transparent technique and have created the fiscal house mandatory to scale back monetary obstacles to the attainment of UHC. We’re removed from our purpose.

On this continent of 54 international locations, not even 25 per cent might attain UHC by 2030. Our continent is host to 17 per cent of the world’s inhabitants, but we nonetheless account for 23 per cent of the worldwide illness burden; solely 48 per cent obtain well being providers and entry just isn’t equitable. One of many main challenges in attaining UHC is well being financing. The area has not been profitable in creating the fiscal house mandatory for our international locations to extend their home sources to finance the attainment of UHC.

UHC, at its core, depends on well being financing which implies that we have now to have the ability to finance our well being programs, finance our well being workforce, finance our provide chain system, and likewise finance primary equipping of major well being services. Our Main Well being Care system is the primary level of service. PHC providers won’t be strengthened by 2030 with out enough fiscal house. So far, majority of African international locations are nonetheless reliant on exterior funding sources.

The third problem is battle. Sure, we’re not in battle between international locations on this continent however we’re seeing loads of conflicts inside our international locations. For instance, poor well being outcomes are aggravated in international locations like Cameroon, a rustic with lower than 25 million individuals, and inside battle. It’s almost not possible to succeed in individuals with well being providers in conflict-ravaged international locations. These political instabilities set again good points made in well being corresponding to service protection and high quality of care.

PT: What methods do you assume are important for strengthening healthcare programs in African international locations to realize common well being protection?

Ngong: Our African authorities has to take the creation of fiscal house severely. We can not always depend on exterior sources as this isn’t environment friendly or sustainable. Home financing for well being must be extraordinarily intentional, so we have now to ensure that we push the agenda on financing well being in our numerous senates and different authorities decision-making our bodies. And as we see local weather modifications, which is able to then impression well being, it means we could have extra calls for on the well being system. So the very first thing is, making a fiscal house that lessens reliance on exterior financing.

The second answer is to ensure we deliver well being nearer to the individuals. We must always benefit from know-how – how will we use know-how to our benefit, how can we use digital well being instruments to shut the hole in entry to well being? Are there revolutionary approaches to well being supply, different service supply fashions, promotion of task-shifting, and so on.? So I believe the answer lies in utilizing know-how and revolutionary service supply fashions to deliver well being nearer to our communities.

PT: How can know-how be leveraged to enhance healthcare infrastructure and providers within the context of UHC in Africa?

Ngong: Once we discuss know-how options, individuals assume it is very theoretical and it may be overwhelming. I want to give two examples of how know-how can allow the supply of well being providers.

Amref Well being Africa, the place I work, makes use of a cellular well being answer known as LEAP. Though we used this digital well being instrument earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic, we noticed its utility in the course of the pandemic.

LEAP is used to coach group well being staff utilizing a cellular coaching strategy. We used this in the course of the pandemic to sensitise group well being staff on COVID-19 – the way it spreads, key prevention messages, forestall it, and sensitise their communities. We have now reached 3.5 million family members with the much-needed well being schooling, primary first support, diet, and referral providers.

One other instance, on the whole, on use of digital well being instruments – moveable diagnostics machines that may detect a number of illnesses utilizing a single system. There are moveable units to measure blood stress at dwelling, sugar ranges at dwelling, dwelling check kits for HIV, and COVID-19, and so forth. These are all know-how options that can be utilized now.

PT: In what methods can the healthcare workforce be higher geared up and expanded to satisfy the calls for of a rising inhabitants whereas making certain fairness?

Ngong: Curriculum growth has been talked about a number of occasions in the course of the convention. We should practice a fit-for-purpose well being workforce, for present well being wants and the long run. Our coaching establishments should evolve to satisfy the calls for of now and the way forward for well being. A query that has been on my thoughts is whether or not our well being coaching establishments, no matter cadre, are conscious of the imply age of our inhabitants (which is nineteen years). That ought to concern us.

PT: What function do public-private partnerships play in selling equitable entry to healthcare in Africa?

Ngong: Public Non-public Partnerships (PPP) play a really essential function and can play a vital function, notably over the following 10-15 years as African international locations attempt to construct their home funding. The reason being that PPPs enable complementarity between private and non-private funds. As a result of we don’t but have enough financing for UHC, we have to have artistic funding approaches, for instance, PPPs. Non-public funds or sources can then be leveraged as international locations develop home sources. So I believe PPPs are extraordinarily essential.