HEALTH | NEAPACOH | ACENG

KAMPALA - The Minister of Health, Dr. Ruth Aceng, has urged African governments to focus on manufacturing own pharmaceutical commodities and stop begging and relying on foreign donations. 

She said Africa must learn from the recent COVID-19 pandemic and start to fend for itself by allocating enough resources towards improving the health of their people. 

Uganda's health minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng (c) greets some of the delegates after the conference. (All Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba)

"We need to address health as a sensitive issue and focus on the health of our people," she said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic must have taught Africa many lessons especially where the international community and big countries asked Africa during the crisis to fend for themselves or die. 

She said amidst the outbreak, major donors were withholding health commodities for themselves, although Africa was able to survive the pandemic. 

Aceng told delegates that Africa must learn from the recent COVID-19 pandemic and start to fend for itself by allocating enough resources towards improving the health of their people.

"But we do not survive by mistake, we must begin to survive intentionally," she said. 

The minister was Wednesday, February 22, 2023 speaking at the opening of the 14th Network of African Parliamentary Committees of Health (NEAPACOH) meeting that opened at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala and was received by the minister for ICT and national guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi who has attended all the conferences since the inception of NEAPACOH in 2008. 

Aceng said amidst the outbreak, major donors were withholding health commodities for themselves, although Africa was able to survive the pandemic.

She represented the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, at the conference that attracted delegates from over 20 African countries, both Angrophone and Francophone and technocrats from various African organisations who gathered to discuss matters of health and specifically progress on the implementation of health related commitments that individual countries sign onto at global, regional and national levels. 

This year's theme is 'Building the capacity of African policy makers for achieving Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals; the role of Parliamenterians'. 

The Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi remarks.

Dr. Aceng reminded the delegates that health is wealth and health was also politics. 

"If the people you represent in your respective Parliaments are healthy, they will continue to give you their votes, but when they are not, you will have to speak a lot to convince them, or they will vote you out," she said. 

She asked the Legislators to begin addressing health as a 'very sensitive issue' and put people at the center of their discussions. 

Delegates sing anthems.

She said they must strengthen Africa's efforts and stop the attitude of waiting for free commodities and work to get what they needed. 

She challenged Legislators to eliminate the so called neglected tropical diseases, which said we're neglected because African governments allocate little resources to eliminate them. 

Delegates raise hands to participate during the 14th Network of African Parliamentary Committees of Health (NEAPACOH) meeting that opened at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.

She said from the conference, Legislators must show the rest of the World that African countries can rise up and do it by themselves, asking them to copy a leaf from Uganda that was recently fought and ended the spread of Ebola in 69 days. 

"This is evidence, Uganda showed that we could end an Ebola pandemic in 69 days," she told the Legislators, who cheered her. 

Delegates from different countries were in attendance.

In her speech that was read by Dr. Aceng, the speaker said that Africa was not short of conducive policy environment to facilitate their work in bringing higher up to scale issues of deliberating on priority policy interventions, build and sustain the momentum for political will, national ownership and support in order to consolidate the gains made towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

What we need now is action. "We need accelerated implementation of the so many frameworks that we have in place," her speech read in part. She urged Legislators to play oversight functions and ensure that their governments fulfill the commitments they make. 

Dr. Aceng with Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, the director general of the National Population Council arrive for the ceremony.

She said African countries share similar reproductive health problems and must ensure that all the engagements they get involved in were about delivering a better Africa and better world for the benefit of the people they serve. 

She asked the forum to discuss problems and offer solutions to the many health challenges including sexually transmitted infections, that's to say HIV/Aids, high maternal mortality rates, high infant mortality rates, low contraceptive use, unmet reproductive health needs, among others. 

It was such an exciting session.

She said as they develop and adopt a "Kampala Call for Action", they must not forget their responsibilities of ensuring accountability, political leadership and stewardship for the implementation of their call. 

Former minister of state for health, Henry Banyenzaki, who represented African Parliamentary Network on SDGs, however, raised his voice and asked the Legislators to get out of what he termed as comfort zones and put foot on the ground for their executives to increase funding towards the health sector. 

He said if it means rebellion they should have no option. He said Uganda has one of the best health policies on health but it was still facing a challenge of implementation. 

"If we Africans continue with this pace, we shall take centuries to achieve the SDGs and UHC, let us talk with one voice and challenge our leaders at the African Unity and United Nations to take action," he stated. He said there was also need to speak as MPs from Africa to create impact and return to their respective parliaments and make protocols to debate health issues. 

Delegates after the conference.

He said what other continents have been able to do to control forexample maternal mortality can also be done in Africa as they set priorities right. 

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This year's meeting was organised under the theme; 'Building the capacity of African policymakers for achieving Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals; the role of Parliamenterians'.