By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Africa urged to reassess its public health approach and use lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic to prepare for future resurgences.
This is according to Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, who believes that the approach will also help improve the resilience of the continent’s health system.
Phaahla was speaking on Monday during the 72nd Session of the World Health Organisation Regional Committee for Africa in Togo.
“It is our view that the health system needs to be properly reset so that it can properly recover from the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, a holistic approach to resetting health systems is more likely to yield desired results not only for the recovery but also for building back better,” he told delegates.
Phaahla said one of the biggest lessons from the pandemic is the power of committed leadership and partnerships.
These also include the importance of technology, analytics, and empowering communities to play a central role in disease control and health emergencies.
“We cannot afford to regress on these. The continued work on reforming the Secretariat to better respond to the needs of Member States remains important,” he stressed.
The weeklong talks bring together Health Ministers and representatives from 47 African countries, experts and other stakeholders in the region and across the globe.
The engagement will define the continent’s health policy and take stock of the specific needs of the region.
The Head of State of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus and the WHO Regional Director, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, officially launched the meeting.
The delegates will focus on several issues, which include Universal Health Coverage, vaccination, the fight against epidemics, medical equipment, the quality of care, the management of health emergencies and financing for the health sector.
Phaahla commended the WHO’s Regional Director and the Secretariat for the achievements during the COVID-19 outbreak in Africa.
South Africa meanwhile has now detected 4 009 943 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 1 564 were cases reported since the last report.
This means that as of 20 August 2022, infections have decreased by 4.9% compared to the previous week.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Gauteng logged the highest weekly incidence risk (3.8 cases per 100 000 persons), followed by Western Cape (3.3 cases per 100 000 persons), while the other provinces reported weekly incidence below three cases per 100 000 persons.
In addition, the latest data shows only six provinces reported a decrease in weekly incidence risk.
Also, the NICD reported a 40% drop in the number of new hospital admissions compared to a week ago, from 185 to 111.
However, the public health institute said delays in reporting admissions and deaths might affect the numbers reported in the most recent week.
The statistics reveal that Gauteng remains the worst-hit province after 47 people were admitted to hospital, followed by 21 in KwaZulu-Natal and 15 in the Western Cape.