ABOUT

THEME: Strengthening Health Systems for Equity and Development”

BACKGROUND

The problem of controlling the disease-burden continues to be one of the major challenges in Africa and is viewed as a constraint to socio-economic development. The AU Conference of Ministers of Health (CAMH) provides an opportunity for African Health Ministers and partners to share experiences and best practices on how to improve the health situation in Africa. To this end the African Union organizes a Conference of Ministers of Health every two years.

The 3rd Session of the AU Conference of Ministers of Health (CAMH3) will convene from 9-13 April 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the outcomes of the meeting will be submitted to the Assembly of African Union Heads of State and Government. The theme of the Conference will be “Strengthening Health Systems for Equity and Development.”  This theme was selected because health systems are the roadmap to universal access to comprehensive health services.  Unless equitable health systems are developed and strengthened continent-wide, Africa may not achieve the health-related MDGs by 2015.

JUSTIFICATION

During the 2nd Ordinary Session of the AU Conference of Ministers of Health held from 10-14 October 2005 in Gaborone, Botswana, South Africa offered to host the 3rd Session under the theme “Strengthening Health Systems for Equity and Development”. This proposal was endorsed by the AU Summit in Khartoum, Sudan in January 2006.

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