Speech of the World Health Organization African Regional Office for Africa Regional Director, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo at the Official Opening of the Task Force on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, 3 April 2014
- Distinguished Professor Ousman Dia – Chairperson of the Task Force on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH);
- Illustrious Members of the Task Force
- Dear colleagues from WHO Offices
- Ladies and Gentlemen.
Good morning!
It gives me great pleasure to be with you today at this inaugural task force meeting. I was unable to participate at the beginning of your consultation but I am sure that you were ably welcomed by the Director of Health Promotion Cluster, Dr Tigest Ketsela.
At this point in your meeting, I would like to make a few remarks on the common endeavour of “Ending Preventable Maternal and Child Deaths in the African Region”.
“Putting the health of women and children first” is one of the six strategic directions of the WHO African Region 2010-2015. We have been providing technical support to Member States to reduce child deaths and improve maternal health in line with the 4th and 5th Millennium Development Goals.
• Distinguished members of the Task Force, Ladies and Gentlemen:
During the last decade, the Ministers of Health of the African Member States have adopted various resolutions to improve the health of women and children in the region. Amongst others, I would like to highlight two of these resolutions at this point in time.
1. At the fifty-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in 2006, African Ministers of Health adopted a resolution on Child Survival: A strategy for the African Region. Member States resolved to put in place policies for effective implementation of the strategy and to strengthen national capacity for planning, implementation and monitoring child survival activities. Since then, WHO continues to support Member States in the implementation of national child survival strategies.
2. In September 2008, the 46 Ministers of Health at the Fifty-Eighth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa adopted a resolution, requesting the Regional Director ‘’to establish a Commission on Women’s Health to generate evidence on the role of improved women’s health in socio economic development’’. A multidisciplinary Commission of 16 experts was established under the leadership of Her Excellency Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf as its Honorary President. In 2012, the Women’s Health Commission , with the support of the WHO Secretariat, produced a report entitled ‘’ Addressing the Challenge of Women’s Health in Africa’’. The Regional Committee endorsed the report recommendations and we are currently working with countries to implement the suggestions.
• Distinguished participants:
As a result of increased global, African and national commitments to end preventable maternal and child deaths, the African Region has scored a number of positive results that merit mention.
1. The under 5 mortality rate in the African Region reduced from 173 per 1000 live births in 1990; to 95 per 1000 live births in 2012.
2. Maternal death ratio has reduced by 41% between 1990 and 2010.
Multiple strategies and interventions applied at country level have contributed to these gains.
• Distinguished members of the Task Force, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Despite the gains, the African Region is still far from achieving its set targets.
The under-five mortality rate of 95 per 1000 live births is still far from the required 58 per 1000 live births to reach the Millennium Development Goal target. The current maternal mortality ratio is still unacceptably high. Indeed, the women and children in the African Region still face a very high disease burden and high death rates.
Various health system challenges hinder progress in the fight to end preventable maternal and child deaths. These include limited access to health care due to weak health infrastructure capacity. The extreme shortage of human resources, the limited access to relevant health technologies, dilapidated health facilities and insufficient financial resources are some of the key problems. Member States also have gaps in availability of reliable data to guide decision making. African countries should keep pushing for primary health care at local level, involving families and communities and improving the access to quality of health care. Universal health care is the new global movement that could lead us to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Our joint efforts are needed to meet the health needs of women and children. In light of our experiences (successes and frustrations) over the last ten years, we may need to revisit some of our strategies and create new approaches to overcome the intractable challenges.
We should not accept living for ever with the worst maternal and child health indicators of the world!
Distinguished members of the Task Force, Ladies and Gentlemen:
To accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals as well as contribute to the post 2015 health agenda, I have established this task force as an advisory body for the WHO Regional Office for Africa. The questions at hand are what type of changes WHO should introduce to advance women and children’s health - now and beyond 2015?
Taking stock of key developments so far, I would like you to make a critical analysis of the past and chart the strategic way forward. With the individual expertise and collective intelligence the distinguished members of the task force, I am sure, you will generate a thorough advice to us. My expectation is to improve the significance of WHO’s secretariat work as well as harmonizing the international partnerships support to African countries.
Let us all endeavor to creatively find workable solutions that can improve access to cost effective quality health care for our women and children, remembering, “Their health is our wealth”.
To all participants, I would like to thank you for the time taken out of your busy schedules to be with us here in Brazzaville. Particularly to the task force members, I am also thankful for your accepting to be members of this important technical advisory group. I trust your new ideas will make a difference in the near future.
I thank you all very much for your attention.