11th October, 2010
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that Africa, home to about 11% of the world’s population has a mere 3% of the world’s health workers, struggling against 24% of the global disease burden mainly due to preventable communicable diseases especially HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis. The continent accounts for 20% of the world’s births but contributes 40% of maternal deaths, many of which are preventable if proper and accessible health care was in place.
One of the key issues that negatively impact Africa’s health is the lack of adequate personnel to promote, provide and plan for appropriate health care.
To address this major problem a team of top health players on the continent are meeting in Nairobi. The team comprising senior representatives from the WHO, the Global Health Workforce Alliance, East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSAHC), Ethiopian Public Health Association, Southern African Development Community (SADC), West African Health Organization (ECOWAS), the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) as well as the Centre for Health Sciences Training, Research and Development (CHESTRAD), African Council for Sustainable Health Development (ACOSHED) NEPAD, and representatives from many African governments, will be meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel from October 11 – October 14, 2010.
The meeting in Nairobi will take stock of progress, achievements and lessons in Human Resources for Health (HRH) and share experiences, innovations and lessons in five critical areas affecting the health workforce in Africa. The outcome will be presented at the 2nd Global Forum on HRH to be held in Bangkok, January 2011.
The consultation will further identify joint action across a broad range of stakeholders to secure long-term policy and programme action to strengthen and expand investments in Human Resources in order to strengthen health systems in Africa.
The meeting whose theme is Walking the Talk: Securing Commitment and Joint Action for the Action HRH Crisis aims to push outcomes which will effectively improve maternal and child health as well as all the health related MDGs.
| This consultation is the outcome of a WHO Afro, NEPAD and ACOSHED meeting in Brazzaville in 2005. Participants are drawn from all over Africa, and the Consultation will be in English and French |
For more information contact: Bob Kioko, AMREF Director of Communications: bob.kioko@amref.org, 0206993111, cell 0735 546 440
