WHO takes political route

Paidamoyo Chipunza in Victoria Falls
African health ministers attending this year’s session of the World Health Organisation regional committee meeting here in Victoria Falls have agreed to take a political route in tackling a myriad of challenges facing the health sector across the continent.

In an interview with journalists yesterday, newly appointed WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said they would work with member countries to engage heads of state, ministers of finance and other relevant stakeholders to ensure universal health coverage becomes a reality.

He said strong political will and domestic financing for health was critical in improving national health security for member countries.

“What we have agreed earlier today is to engage finance ministers, to engage heads of state and other sectors because health cannot be done by the health sector alone,” said Dr Ghebreyesus. “It needs mobilisation of other sectors.”

Dr Ghebreyesus said previous deliberations on universal health coverage were rhetoric because they were not reaching out to other stakeholders.

“That is why we have agreed that WHO is not just technical, it is also political, so we will go into political mobilisation because we need that political will,” he said.

During a plenary session, Dr Ghebreyesus said there was need for leaders to prioritise robust domestic financing mechanism, in addition to continuous engagement with ministers of finance to address funding challenges.

He said subdued funding remained the biggest threat to the realisation of the resilient and vibrant health systems across the African continent, with most member countries failing to meet the Abuja Declaration which stipulates that at least 15 percent of national budgets should go towards health.