Gom Mirian
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) to promote better health outcomes in the two continents.
HeDPAC is aimed at strengthening health cooperation to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on developing countries, particularly on women and children, and to reverse health setbacks, including maternal mortality.
On Tuesday, WHO disclosed that HeDPAC will prioritise efforts to enhance the health workforce in Africa and the Caribbean, as well as share innovative solutions in primary health care, with a focus on climate resilience and maternal and child health.
Additionally, the initiative will promote technology transfer for pharmaceutical manufacturing, build regulatory capacity and work towards achieving universal health coverage.
The first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HeDPAC, Dr. Haileyesus Getahun, in his remarks, said “there is no better role in global health than to contribute to health equity for the most vulnerable.”
On his part, the Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed pleasure at partnering with HeDPAC in striving to achieve universal health coverage in Africa and the Caribbean.
He emphasised that the South-South cooperation “can play a critical role in catalysing a shared vision for health and the exchange of best practices between nations.”
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, a champion of the initiative, highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in global health systems, but it also offers an opportunity to address those challenges. He emphasised the need for immediate action to prevent a repeat of the inequitable global response to the pandemic.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados, another champion of HeDPAC, echoed President Kagame’s sentiments, emphasising the shared responsibility to ensure that all people have access to good health. She stressed that this type of action is crucial to providing aid where it is most needed.
