Brazzaville, 11 April 2006 -- On the invitation of the WHO Regional Office for Africa, experts from regional and international organizations have gathered in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, to develop a strategy for health financing in Africa. The strategy will guide countries in the ways and means to strengthen health financing and, for that matter, health systems performance.

Experts from Regional Economic Communities, World Bank, International Labour Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund and the African Advisory Committee on Health Economics will provide their inputs for the development of a regional health financing strategy and a framework for its implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

In addition, the experts will prepare a draft resolution for adoption by ministers of health at the WHO Regional Committee for Africa scheduled for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 28 August to 1 September 2006.

The workshop is being held as part of the implementation of resolutions of the WHO Regional Committee urging the 46 Member States of the WHO African Region to take such measures as are necessary to ensure the availability and use of the resources needed, and recommendations of Heads of States in 2001 requesting that at least 15% of national budget be allocated to health.

WHO notes that: “The African Region bears the highest burden of disease and has the lowest life expectancy worldwide as a result of the weakness of health systems and poor socioeconomic performance”.

In a statement she delivered this morning, the Director of the WHO Regional Office Division for Health Systems and Services Development, Dr Alimata Jeanne Diarra-Nama called for the promotion of the health and wellbeing of the populations and for protecting them against the impoverishing impact of disease. She added that “achieving the highest possible health status requires more money and equitable and efficient financing.”

For his part, the Acting Director of Programme Management of the WHO Regional Office, Dr Chris Mwikisa urged “efficient use of health resources and wide coverage of health services especially those services targeted at the poor” in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and National Health Objectives.

Stressing the importance of partnership and coordinated support to Member States, Dr Mwikisa said: “By working together, we avoid duplication of efforts and conflict in providing advice to the countries and, more importantly, we optimize the impact of our support to countries.”

Dr Mwikisa went on to paint a worrying picture of the health situation: “In the year 2002 alone, 10.7 million deaths were recorded in the African Region of which 55% were caused by respiratory infections, malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition and maternal and perinatal health conditions”

“Most of the deaths could have been avoided if care-seekers had had access to cost-effective interventions”

For more information contact:

Technical contact

Dr Joses Muthuri Kirigia

Regional Advisor, Health Economics WHO Regional Office for Africa 

Brazzaville , Congo 

Tel.: 00 47241 39342 

E-mail: kirigiaj [at] afro.who.int

Media contact

Flavienne Issembe

Public Information and Communication Unit 

WHO Regional Office for Africa 

Brazzaville, Congo 

Tel.: 00 47241 39352 

E-mail: issembef [at] afro.who.int