Given that the COVID-19 virus has reached its fourth year since it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), talks about pandemic preparedness and response (PPR) have been in the air for the past couple of months. Discussions on setting up the Pandemic Fund have seen development partners and other interest groups have candid discussions on what a pandemic-proof world looks like and Africa has not been left out of the discussions.
Pandemics in the past have had catastrophic results not only to man’s life but to the economy and stability of many nations and the health sector has been the most affected. As of 23rd December 2022, the world reported over 651 million coronavirus-confirmed cases and over 6.6 million deaths according to WHO. Though the overall number of African cases reported is fewer than the Global North cases, issues such as vaccine hoarding have seen the African continent get access to the COVID-19 vaccines a bit late. Concerns have been raised on the African continent’s capability of manufacturing its vaccines with the African Medicines Agency (AMA) being hosted in Kigali, Rwanda as a way of trying to curb the manufacturing issue in the continent. AMA will contribute to the improved regulation of medicines, medical products, and technology within the health space as per a press release made by the African Union.
Though this is a step towards addressing future pandemics and the continent’s power in manufacturing internally, queries about purchasing and supply have been highlighted. Although AMA is an avenue that will see the African continent reduce its dependency on other countries for its healthcare requirements, other health hiccups have come into play. One such hiccup is not having enough medical practitioners in the continent for one reason or another as low and middle-income countries (LMICs)struggle to meet the recommended human resources for health threshold recommended by WHO which is the 1:1000 doctor-to-patient ratio. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the weakness of the health infrastructure in Africa and strengthening the system is one key area that will be discussed during the upcoming 3rd edition of the Africa Healthcare Awards and Summit (AHAS2023).
Climate change has also been flagged as one of the key issues that affect health in the 21st Century and if this is not addressed, more lives will be lost due to hunger and tropical diseases. This is why the WHO has taken the ‘One Health and ALL Hazards Approach’ and why this crucial issue is incorporated into the overall agenda as a holistic approach toward achieving the SDGs by 2030.
To ensure sustainability across the Africa health sector is achieved before the next pandemic, Zenith Global Health is providing a platform in Dakar, Senegal from 16th to 17th June 2023 for African countries to discuss what this means for Africa and its people. Under the theme
“Pandemic Preparedness and Response: What this means for Africa’s health sector”, we will have thematic sessions that will look at;
| Pandemic Preparedness and Response: What this means for Africa’s Health Sector!” | |
| Keynote Address | WHO |
| Welcome Address | ASPS |
| Opening Remarks | Zenith |
| Opening Ceremony | MoH |
| PPR where Africa Stands | Plenary |
| SIDE SESSIONS | |
| Human Resources for Health | |
| Supply Chain and Manufacturing | |
| Digital Healthcare/ TeleMedicine | |
| Access to Primary Care: Harm Reduction | |
| Healthcare Financing | |
| Partnerships in Health: Focus on community engagemement | |
| Climate Change and Healthcare in Africa | Plenary |
| NB: Some sessions will run concurrently | |
The PPR discussions will be on the 16th of June 2023 with the Africa Healthcare Awards on the 17th of June 2023 evening both at the King Fahd Hotel Dakar-Senegal.