Parliamenterians in Africa from different states namely;Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbambwe, gathered at a conference in Nairobi on 11th & 12th July 2023 at the sidelines of the African Union Summit, to reflect and discuss health financing in Africa.
Cognisant of the need to formalize genuine collaboration between parliamentarians and Civil Society, they proposed for an effective advocacy program on sustainable domestic resource mobilization for health in Africa, through a platform for exchanging information, sharing best practices, strengthening political and synergies.
The recommendations, resulted in the creation of the Parliamentarian Task Force on Domestic Resource Mobilization for Health in Africa, with the objectives of engaging parliamentarians in their respective countries on issues such as the mobilization of national resources for health; strengthening of community health; universal health coverage; and addressing gaps in funding for the fight against HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria. support of this declaration.
The parliamentarians also subscribed to sustainable health funding moving forward.
The African Union member states subscribed to a solid normative legal framework on the right to health, they also committed to its Agenda 2063, whose aim is to transform the potential threat posed by the expected doubling of its young population by 2050, into a “demographic dividend”, bringing economic growth and higher living standards, and they also subscribed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to significantly increase the health budget to ensure that everyone benefits from universal health coverage (UHC).
Heads of state and government also made declarations and commitments on health financing, notably at the 32nd Ordinary Conference of the African Union in Addis Ababa in February 2019, during which they endorsed the deliberations of the African Leaders’ Meeting (ALM) and adopted declarations in favor of mobilizing domestic resources for health financing in Africa.
Notably, many African states are struggling to meet their commitments to mobilize domestic resources, yet investing in health is investing in human capital, creating stable jobs, stimulating economic growth and reducing inequalities.
The parliamentarians are committed to advocate for: Domestic resource mobilization for health including push for the move from commitment to action, co-financing of Global Fund and other development partners’ programs for HIV, TB and Malaria to build equitable and resilient health systems, focused on people centered approach and integrated health services (addressing HIV, TB and Malaria and other health issues based on people’s needs and disease burden),
Community Health system strengthening, including ensuring a recognized status for Community Health Workers, financing of Community Health Strategy, support for community-led responses, and incorporation of community, rights and gender considerations in HIV, TB and malaria programming;
Incorporating universal health coverage as a goal in national health policy frameworks, strategically connected to broader inter-ministerial priorities such as emergency preparedness, social stability, climate, economy and finance,
Bridging financial and implementation gaps of HIV, TB, Malaria, Health Systems Strengthening, Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response and Community Health Systems in the National Strategic Plans for the countries;
Establish a space for exchange and sharing of good practices among parliamentarians from different regions of Africa,
Create synergies with civil society on Domestic Resource Mobilization for Health in Africa.
