Strengthening Partner Coordination for Health Security

Dr Sally-Ann Ohene

Ghana, like many countries in the WHO Africa Region, remains vulnerable to public health emergencies due to underlying vulnerabilities and challenging health systems. Between 2022 to 2025, the country has responded to several disease outbreaks including meningitis, dengue fever, cholera, Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever and mpox. These outbreaks placed considerable pressure on the public health system, often disrupting the delivery of essential health care in the most affected areas. 

Tanzania Strengthens Leadership in IHR Implementation and Health Emergency Preparedness

Tanzania Strengthens Leadership in IHR Implementation and Health Emergency Preparedness

Arusha - With support from the Pandemic Fund, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, through the Ministry of Health and in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, convened an International Health Regulations (IHR) Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting in Arusha. The meeting brought together key stakeholders to review progress and prioritize actions to strengthen national systems for public health emergency preparedness and response.

Namibia aims to reform Mental Health policy and legislation

Stakeholders at the revision of the National Policy on Mental Health

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO), has convened a national stakeholders’ meeting to review the 2005 National Mental Health Policy and to develop a comprehensive implementation plan.

Angola Launches National Campaign to Vaccinate More Than 9 Million Children Against Polio

Polio Launch in Angola

The national polio vaccination campaign was officially launched today in the municipality of Belas, an initiative aimed at protecting more than 9 Millon children under the age of 5 across the country.

The campaign runs from March 26 to 28, 2026, and mobilizes vaccination teams across the country with the goal of interrupting the transmission of polio in Angola.

WHO supports Mauritius in undertaking a comprehensive Health Labour Market Analysis

Port Louis—Mauritius is set to reshape its health workforce through a comprehensive Health Labour Market Analysis, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO). This initiative marks a decisive step toward strengthening Mauritius’ health system and advancing progress toward universal health coverage. “The Health Labour Market Analysis comes at the right time for Mauritius. We must address workforce shortages, improve distribution and ensure the number of health workers are adequate for our population’s health needs,” says Dr Poonam Gungadin, Director of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW). “This process will give us the evidence we need to design effective and sustainable workforce policies.” Mauritius has long demonstrated strong investment in its health workforce, maintaining one of the highest doctor and nurse densities in the African Region, with 31.7 doctors and 35.7 nurses and midwives per 10 000 population. Yet, the health system faces mounting challenges: persistent shortages across several cadres, emerging skills gaps, high workloads, burnout, and uneven distribution of health professionals. Despite employing approximately 13 000 officers across 375 grades, shortages remain acute due to retirement, migration, limited training capacity, and lengthy recruitment procedures. To meet rising service demands, the MOHW expanded specialized services and increased the number of primary care clinics from 147 to 268 between 2022 and 2024—an 82% increase. While this expansion strengthens access to care, it also intensifies staffing pressures. Both public and private health institutions face difficulties filling vacancies due to a limited pool of qualified candidates, compounded by emigration and complex recruitment and licensing processes. The HLMA process is taking place from 16 to 27 March 2026 with participation from across government with 40 representatives from the different ministries, regulatory councils, statistical bodies, training institutions, health professional associations and the private sector. This broad engagement ensures that the analysis is grounded in high quality data, shared ownership, and consensus driven policy recommendations that reflect the realities of both public and private service delivery. “WHO is proud to support Mauritius in this comprehensive HLMA process,” says Dr Gilbert Buckle, Health Policy Advisor at WHO Mauritius. “A resilient health system depends on a well-planned, well-supported health workforce. Mauritius’ Health Labour Market Analysis is a vital investment in understanding workforce realities and shaping the reforms needed to deliver health for all.”

South Africa Launches Health Financing Progress Matrix Report in Pretoria

Dr Matthew Jowett, Unit Head for Governance, Policy and Financing at WHO HQ provides overview of the South Africa HFPM report

Pretoria, 19 March 2026 — South Africa’s National Department of Health jointly with World Health Organization Country Office in South Africa convened partners to launch the inaugural edition of the Health Financing Progress Matrix (HFPM) report in Pretoria. The event shared the HFPM findings and opened dialogue on practical options to strengthen health financing in support of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with an emphasis on the use of evidence, focus on equity and sustainable progress, and strengthening planning for UHC.