Johannesburg, 06 May 2016 – The World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti has called for a change in approach from treating single diseases to promoting health, and to investing in strong national health systems in order to be able to deliver on people’s demands and expectations.

She made the call whilst delivering the keynote address at the Health Systems Trust Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, organised under the theme, Strengthened health systems for sustainable development: Sharing, Supporting, Synergizing. The event was attended by delegates drawn from policy makers, public health practitioners, civil society organisations and academia.

Speaking on the topic – ‘Inter-dependence of Health Systems Strengthening and the Sustainable Development Goals’, the Regional Director warned about the dangers of not addressing the social determinants of health which contribute to inequalities and inequities and urged countries to renew their commitment to strengthening health systems towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage. 

“We now have renewed opportunities – at global, regional and national levels – to build resilient health systems,” said Dr Moeti, adding that the SDGs are anchored around the principles of equity, economic and social inclusiveness, universality and good governance. She also underscored the need for health systems to be more responsive to the needs of those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder, in terms of accessibility, availability, affordability and quality, and to also facilitate mainstreaming equity, gender and human rights, as one of the fundamental principles of the SDGs.

The Regional Director told delegates that there is increased recognition in Africa that health is fundamental to all aspects of social and economic development. She noted that some important successes were reported in Africa on the MDGs – with South Africa contributing significantly to progress made in halting and reversing the HIV epidemic. She, however, cautioned that despite the progress, the Region’s failure to achieve significant reductions in areas such as maternal and child mortality, for example, remains worrisome. 

Dr Moeti regretted that some countries dedicate less than $US 60 per-capita to health care. “This is insufficient investment in health systems strengthening which results in high private out of pocket spending on health – about 35% of total health spending in the WHO African Region. This situation in turn impoverishes households and limits access to health services”, she stressed.

She noted with appreciation South Africa’s strong voice in regional and global fora – in particular and its participation and contribution to the United Nations system including WHO governing bodies. The critical role the WHO African Region plays in supporting countries to progress towards Universal Health Coverage was highlighted at the conference. This includes support to the implementation of National Health Insurance systems, as a roadmap to achieving UHC and financial risk protection in South Africa; and establishing a framework for monitoring UHC in countries of the region, in line with the United Nations global SDG monitoring framework.

During the Conference, Dr Moeti also chaired a plenary session on the Sustainable Development Goals and Social Determinants of Health and participated in the launch of the latest edition of the South African Health Review report.

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For more information, please contact:

Dr Davison Munodawafa, Programme Manager, Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo. E: munodawafad [at] who.int

Dr Laurent Musango, Health Financing, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo.  E: musangol [at] who.int

Dr Sarah Barber, WHO Country Office Representative, South Africa.  E: barbers [at] who.int

Collins Boakye-Agyemang, Regional Communications Officer, Congo E: boakyeagyemangc [at] who.int