African health ministers eye Sh213bn plan to fight outbreaks

Dar es Salaam. Health Minsters from 47 countries across Africa are considering a Sh213 billion funding to tackle more than 100 public health emergencies on the continent.

The ministers, through the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, are expected to come up with policy commitments to support the regional strategy for health security and emergencies between 2016 and 2020 during a meeting scheduled to end Monday in Addis Ababa.

WHO said in a statement that one of the most significant aspects of the strategy was swift responses to disease outbreaks on the continent.

The organisation has mapped out the impact of 15 tropical diseases—ranging from anthrax to Ebola to Zika—in a report released in May, this year.

By the year 2018, it is expected that 80 per cent of African countries would have tested and funded all hazard preparedness plans and conducted outbreak and disaster analyses as per international health regulations and disaster risk management.

Tanzania is represented at the meeting by Zanzibar Health minister Thabit Kombo.

WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti, warned that no country on the continent was immune to disease outbreaks.

“In our globalised world, diseases know no boundaries. We need stronger collaboration to protect national, regional and global health security,’’ she said.

Dr Moeti added that the regional strategy for health security and emergencies would strengthen the capacity of countries in the Region to prepare for, prevent, detect, respond to and quickly recover from emergencies in a predictable, dependable and accountable way.