Ho, April 16, - Dr. Matsidiso
Rebecca Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Regional Director has
asked African countries to see Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as good economic
investment.
This is because, “healthier
populations drive economic growth, development and prosperity, improved health
security, reduced poverty and better gender equity”, she said.
Dr Moeti said this in an address
read on her behalf at the third University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS)
Leadership Lecture Series in memory of Professor John Evans Atta Mills in Ho.
The Lecture was on the theme,
“Transform health and accelerate sustainable development in Africa: Addressing
Universal Health Coverage through Regional and Global Transformation”.
She noted that though health
expenditure in Africa went up over the past two decades, the achievement was
mainly due to external aids and challenged the continent to take responsibility
of the health of its citizens.
Dr. Moeti asked leaders of the
continent to address “critical gaps” of service provision capacity and quality
of care to break barriers to UHC.
She said “health protection is
still low across Africa-11 million Africans fall into poverty due to high
out-of-pocket health payments every year,” and “ health system preparedness for
public health emergencies is still in its infancy,” begging for investments.
Dr. Moeti said UHC was linked to
the Sustainable Development Goals and called for compulsory public financing
mechanisms, such as tax financing and social insurance to use UHC as pathway to
achieving SDG three and others.
She said with strong commitment
to UHC and the SDGs, WHO was strengthening its role as a primary leader in
health development in Africa and globally embarking on a “bold new” plan of
action focused on one billion more people being better protected from health
emergencies, one billion more people benefiting from UHC and one billion more
people enjoying better health and wellbeing among others.
Dr. Moeti called for all hands on
deck and said Africa was on the “right path to a brighter, healthier and more
prosperous future”.
The lecture coincided with the
University’s special congregation, which conferred honourary doctorate degree
of science on Dr. Moeti, Dr. Moses Adibo and Mr Kofi Nsiah-Poku for their
contributions to healthcare delivery.
Professor John Owusu Gyapong,
Vice Chancellor, UHAS, said the lecture series were to inculcate the spirit of
leadership in staff and students and celebrate individuals who impacted
society.
GNA
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