Health

At 74th WHO Africa session: Minister Manaouda, others discuss boosting healthcare.

by Morine Tanyi
02 Sep 2024 19:36
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Public health minister (extreme right) with other participants

The Minister of Public Health, Dr Manaouda Malachie, and other healthcare officials from across Africa have discussed boosting access to healthcare services and handling contemporary challenges.

This was during the 74th session of the World Health Organisation, WHO Africa. It took place in Brazzaville Congo. The session spanned August 26 to 30, 2024.

Minister Dr Manaouda who also doubles as the Third Vice President of the Executive Board of the WHO, headed Cameroon’s delegation to the Brazzaville conference.

The weeklong come together was focused on management and improvement of health on the African continent. Among contemporary health issues discussed were: diabetes, Mpox and the management of pandemics and other epidemics.

The Minister of Public Health is said to have during a presentation highlighted the need for WHO Africa to take interest in the country’s Universal Health Coverage, UHC, scheme.

At the WHO Regional Committee, the Minister of Public Health outlined strategies to boost the local pharmaceutical industry, aiming for 40% coverage of medicine needs by 2030.

The government of Cameroon, he told participants, lays emphasis on regulatory improvements and institutional support. Cameroon, the health minister also said, is enhancing local medicine production to reduce reliance on global pharmaceutical companies.

The Public Health Minister expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the WHO Africa 74th session. He thanked especially the president of Congo Brazzaville, Denis Sassou Nguesso, for offering exceptional environment for the success of the session.

Other speakers looked at the application of the scheme within member states and other blocs across the continent. Speakers also agreed that healthcare services must be improve upon in line with achieving key Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.

At the end of the conference, the 75th session of the WHO Africa Office Regional Committee was scheduled for August 25 to 29, 2025, in Lusaka, Zambia.

Participants left the session expressing hope for improved health conditions across the continent.

They also agreed on the need to increase financial autonomy for local actors and enhance access to care, particularly through the expansion of basic services.

By Ngange Glory Yinyu (Journalism student on internship)

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3217 of Monday September 02, 2024