Africa needs to become more self-reliant to improve the health of its people, the chairperson of the African Union’s commission said in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Professor Alpha Konare said African countries have to make sure they get better prices for their raw materials, stop the ”ruinous wars” that prevent health strategies from being carried out, and put a stop to money flowing out of the continent illegally.
He was briefing journalists following the opening of the third ordinary session of the AU Conference of Ministers of Health.
”I’m convinced that if we can better harmonise our programmes, we can save money,” he said,
The gathering, held once every two years, aims to develop an integrated health strategy for Africa.
”Last year we made new commitments to make resources available, but when I look at the tools being implemented, I see no positive developments,” Konare said.
Advocate Bience Gawanas, the commissioner for social affairs of the AU, said on average between 3% and 10% of government spending of AU countries goes towards health. In 2001, a commitment was made that this be at least 15%.
”We have not achieved it; we need to continuously push,” said Gawanas, adding it is also important that available resources be used effectively. Budgets should be managed so that the effects of spending are felt by the intended recipients.
A pharmaceutical manufacturing plan is one of the conference’s agenda items. Most of the AU’s 53 member states are ”heavily dependent” on imported medicine.
Gawanas said the plan emerged from the belief that Africa has the capacity to produce both the required quality and quantity of drugs. ”I’m very confident that we are moving closer to a more collective approach to the issues.”
Acting South African health minister Jeff Radebe said he thinks it is possible for Africa to manufacture its own medicines. He called for uniform policies and standards as well as standardised institutional arrangements for drug distribution.
On Africa’s continuing malaria problem, he believes a ”concerted effort” can eradicate it. The World Health Organisation has noted that South Africa’s use of the controversial pesticide DDT ”could go a long way” towards eradicating the problem, said Radebe.
”We believe that the goal of 2010 for the eradication of malaria is possible,” he said.
Other programmes the conference will be asked to approve include ways of dealing with tuberculosis, traditional medicines, violence, and the scarcity of health workers.
According to a Global Burden of Disease report, road-traffic accidents are the eighth leading contributor to the burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa, and the third in North Africa.
The staffing of Africa’s health systems has hit crisis levels. Just 3% of the world’s health work force was in Africa, while the continent suffers from 25% of the world’s burden of disease.
The conference, attended by World Health Organisation officials and representatives from NGOs and other civil society organisations, ends on Friday. — Sapa