2 April 2008, Lusaka, Zambia
Chairperson
Ministers of Health
Senior Officials
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning
It gives me great pleasure to be able to be in Lusaka and to have the privilege to address you this morning as the current chairperson of the AU Bureau of Health Ministers. I shall speak to the activities of the AU Bureau under the relevant items of the agenda but wish to use this opportunity to make a few general comments.
This meeting is taking place at an important time. There is a growing global food crisis which will affect the poor in particular. The rising cost of food and oil as well as the increasing demand for electricity and the difficulties in ensuring its supply all contribute to challenges that we are currently experiencing. This in the context of an increasingly difficult economic climate and the increasing impact of climate change. As you know World Health Day this year has as its theme climate change and its impact on health. I think that we need to better understand the impacts of climate change and take steps to mitigate its causes as well as its impact on health to ensure amongst others food security.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the PHC approach and the Alma Ata Declaration. The key principles adopted in 1978 of equity, intersectoral collaboration and community involvement are as relevant today as they were 30 years ago. We therefore need to review progress in implementation of primary health care and how we can strengthen health systems based on the primary health care approach.
We know that resources, both human and financial, are scarce in the region. We therefore need to ensure that programmes we plan make the best use of resources. We must resist the temptation to focus on programmes that are donor driven if they are not part of our own priorities. This means that we need to engage as SADC with donors and share with them our programme of action so that our priorities can be the focus of the engagement with our partners.
Equally when we attend international meetings at which our partners are present as SADC we need to present our strengths and our ability to deal with our challenges - albeit with support in certain instances.
There have been a number of meetings on how to deal with human resource migration from our region to the more developed parts of the world. Some people have argued that we need to implement what is called 'task shifting' to deal with human resources shortages. What is left unsaid is who we should task shift to! I have been arguing that we cannot task shift for a number of reasons. Instead we should collectively and individually train for our needs. This means that developed countries should do proper HR planning and train their own citizens to meet their needs. Of course we are not saying people should not be able move - it's a human right - but as policy makers we need to implement policies that will enable us to provide the best possible care for our people and this means, amongst others, the need to ensure a reliable supply of well trained and motivated health workers.
I am glad the research issues are part of our agenda. You will know that scientists in a number of conferences and meetings have recently raised concerns about the implications of the many failed microbicide and vaccine clinical trials. As Ministers responsible for the health and well-being of our people we too need to reflect on what these failures mean. Does it mean for example that we ask scientists if there is a need to return to a better understanding of the basic sciences? Does it mean that we consider halting further clinical trials on HIV vaccines and microbicides? These are important matters that I think we need to seriously debate.
Finally, it is critical that we focus anew on healthy lifestyles. If individuals, households and communities are empowered to take more responsibility for their health, then we will be able to improve health status and dependence on the health system. This does not mean that we are shifting the responsibility from government and the health sector to communities. The primary health care approach demands that we empower individuals, families and communities - we need to find innovative ways of doing this as the nature of families and communities change. We need to focus on developing comprehensive and integrated health systems which includes a seamless progression from activities within the household to the provision of health care at the different levels of care.
This 30th anniversary of Alma Ata is an appropriate time for us to pause and reflect on how we do business as the health sector. I hope that we shall take the opportunity presented by this meeting to reflect on doing things differently for accelerated progress in improving the health status of the people of the Region.
I thank you!