Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that when health is at risk, everything is at risk.
Ghebreyesus who made the statement at the closing ceremony of the first virtual International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2021), on Thursday, said “health is not a luxury, but a fundamental human right. Health is not a cost, but an investment.”
The African Union (AU) and the Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) organized the first CPHIA 2021, with over 10,000 participants from 140 countries around the world.
The three-day conference featured presentations from African Heads of State and Government, dignitaries and leading health experts, who discussed how to accelerate progress against COVID-19 and chart a new path forward for public health on the continent.
The WHO DG noted that although the number of deaths reported in Africa was lower than in other regions, the continent knew that it was under reported.
“Millions of children have missed out on (routine) vaccination and months of education. Unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is a moral failure,” he stressed.
He outlined three priorities for the African continent; ”Engage in negotiating the new accord on pandemic preparedness and response, Invest in science, research and development of local production and Invest in primary health care as the foundation of universal health coverage (UHC).”
READ ALSO: S/Africa Reports 20,000 COVID-19 Cases, An Omicron-Wave Record
The WHO boss thanked South Africa and Botswana for rapidly detecting sequencing and reporting the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
“It’s deeply disappointing to me that these countries have been penalized with ineffective and discriminatory travel bans.
“We shouldn’t penalize transparency,” he stressed.
He noted that CPHIA2021 was extremely timely. Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic had highlighted the importance of nurturing strong science and research in Africa.
“I commend the African Union for its bold leadership and continental strategy, the only unified regional strategy of its kind,” he added.
He stressed that the persistent inequity in access to vaccines and emergence of the Omicron variant shows why investing in local production must be a priority in the continent, while commending the Africa CDC and African Union for launching the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing.
Ghebreyesus said that the development of multiple vaccines for COVID-19 in record time is a triumph of science, but the inequitable distribution had been a moral failure for humanity.
“While 44 per cent of the world population is fully vaccinated, in Africa this is only 8 per cent.”
He added that the increased participation of Africa in multilateral discussions, both regionally and globally, is essential for shaping of global health security and African health security.
Prof Olive Shisana, President/CEO of Evidence-Based Solutions (Pty) Ltd., said that the CPHIA2021 had brought the Africa continent together to deliberate on what the future should be.
Shisana said that it must be one of health, shared prosperity, and inclusive development that leaves no country behind, adding that it must, above all, be one of resilience, solidarity, and self-reliance.
She added that the COVID-19 had demonstrated the need for free, quality health care for all at the point of care in pursuit of a New Public Health Order.
She stressed that, therefore, the continent’s priority must be the attainment of UHC as envisaged in the SDGs.
According to Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC, “I’m very pleased the notion that Africa needs to harness more its own resources, human resources, scientific capabilities, and infrastructure to advance science in this period of a new public health order resonated.
Nkengasong said that the large panel of top scientists from across Africa affirmed that there was a lot of good science going on around the continent, but the continent needed a platform to harness all of that and bring it all together.
He stressed that the theme of this meeting was new public health order in Africa.
“The political excitement, the scientific excitement, the policy excitement is something that is amazing and has characterized the spirit of this conference.
“Africa is a continent on the move and is determined to take the health security of the continent into its own hands to create a New Public Health Order” perspective on Africa’s standing in the global health ecosystem.
“Participants shared these comments Remarkable conference, impactful, valuable, will add ‘insightful and fruitful.’ I can’t wait for the conference next year. Hopefully, it’s in-person,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Daniel Ngamije, Minister of Health in Rwanda, announced that Rwanda would be hosting the second annual Conference on Public Health in Africa in December 2022.
“I take this opportunity to welcome you all to join us in Rwanda and look forward to having fruitful discussion,” Ngamije said.
The first Public Health conference in Africa was attended by over 11,000 participants across the continent; with Insightful and constructive discussions on Africa’s public health, including tackling COVID-19. (NAN)
