Strengthening Zambia’s Digital Health Maturity – A way to improve health outcomes

Strengthening Zambia’s Digital Health Maturity – A way to improve health outcomes

Zambia like many other countries is leveraging the many opportunities that digital technologies provide to prioritize and improve health service delivery across communities. To help further advance this agenda, the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with WHO, Ministry of Health and the Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health hosted a three-day workshop on enhancing digital health maturity in Zambia.  

WHO reiterates its support for the revitalization of Primary Health Care in Angola.

Dr. Karamagi talking to the media

Luanda, 7 July 2023 - The WHO African Region has significantly improved Universal Health Coverage since 2000, driven mainly by enhanced interventions addressing infectious conditions. However, this progresses it’s not happening in other crucial areas of health, such as ensuring health security or health in all its determinants, which may undermine aspirations to achieve adequate health service coverage.

Strengthening enforcement of new tobacco law through capacity building of police officers

Strengthening enforcement of new tobacco law through capacity building of police officers, April-May 2023, Mauritius
Empowering the Mauritius Police Force on law enforcement for tobacco control is  essential to ensure compliance of the new tobacco law, the Public Health Regulations on Restrictions on Tobacco Products, promulgated in 2022. This initiative was led by the Vie et Santé (VISA) NGO in close partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the University of Mauritius, the WHO country office and the State Law Office. From April to May 2023, nine-five police officers were released from their routine work to participate in a full day training held at the Police Training Centre in Beau Bassin. The trainees had the opportunity to get updated knowledge on the global tobacco epidemic, its socio-economic impact, the provisions of the Mauritius new tobacco laws including new plain packaging legislation, the tobacco industry interference and counteracting strategies as well as new and emerging tobacco technology products and to discuss how to enforce the new law. Mauritius’ achievements in tobacco control began in 2003, when the Ministry of Health and Wellness began work towards implementing tobacco control laws. Soon after, on May, 17, 2004, Mauritius was among the first countries to become Party to the WHO FCTC. Since that time Mauritius has always been a pioneer in tobacco control legislation and policies being among the first countries to impose pictorial and written warning on tobacco packaging in 2008 and being as of 31St May 2023 the first country of Africa to institute tobacco plain packaging.  The new regulations 2023 comprehensively strengthen Mauritius’ tobacco control framework by introducing not only plain tobacco packaging and eight new larger pictorial health but also by introducing a complete smoking ban in all indoor workplaces as well as in many outdoor public spaces. Additionally, a ban is imposed on the manufacture, import, distribution and sale of waterpipes, ENDS and ENNDS (including e-liquids), and heated tobacco products (including tobacco products for their use). The regulations impose the same ban on smokeless tobacco products;  tobacco products with a characterizing flavor; roll-your-own tobacco and accessories; any other product containing nicotine; and any device used for tobacco consumption that may be manufactured or marketed to replace or imitate a tobacco product. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Anil Kumar Dip; the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Marie Ancia; VISA’s Honorary President, Mrs Véronique Le Clézio; as well as other personalities, attended the final hand over certificate and closing ceremony organized on 15 May 2023 at  the Special Mobile Force Diamond Hall in Vacoas.

Mauritius validates its National Action Plan for Health Security

Validation of the National Action Plan for Health Security in April 2023 in Mauritius
The Ministry of Health and Wellness partnered with the World Health Organization to cost and validate the Mauritius National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) during a five-day workshop in April 2023. With the support of WHO, the country was able to finalize the action plan to strengthen the national health security system drafted in November 2022. This multi-year action plan for Health Security draws on multisectoral engagement using the One Health approach to strengthen Public health emergencies detection, early preparedness, and swift response. It has been aligned with the Global Health Security strategy and the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR) which recommends countries to strengthen, monitor and evaluate their IHR capacities for the early prevention, protection, control and response to the spread of diseases. As a signatory of the International Health Regulations (2005), the Republic of Mauritius has already conducted voluntary and external assessments such as, respectively, the State Party Annual reporting (SPAR) and the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) which provide insights into strengths and weaknesses in compliance with IHR capacities. Results of these evaluations, coupled with lessons learned from the national response to the COVID 19 Pandemic have enabled to identify all necessary actions to improve national capacities and define the national action plan for health security. The country initiated preparatory work led by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in November 2022, with the participation of different ministries including Agro-Industry and Food Security, Education, Environment, Finances and Planning. A draft strategic action plan was thus developed and subsequently costed and validated in April 2023. The NAPHS represents an important achievement for Mauritius showing political commitment and multi-sectoral engagement to advance a comprehensive preparedness and response plan to strengthen the health security of the country. It is a milestone that sets the country to invest smartly to further protect its population and to minimize effects of outbreaks and pandemics.

Over 20,000 Children Vaccinated Against Measles Rubella in Lesotho

WHO Lesotho Country Representative, Dr Richard Banda vaccinating a baby during the official launch of the African Vaccination Week in Lesotho

For over two centuries, vaccines have safely reduced the scourge of diseases like polio, measles, and smallpox, helping children to grow up healthy and happy. In Lesotho, more than 20,000 children aged 9-59 months got vaccinated against Measles Rubella during the Africa Vaccination Week(AVW).

Angola strengthens capacity building on Integrated Care for Childhood Illnesses.

Assistance to a child in one of the health units

Luanda, Angola, 04 July 2023 - Despite the significant efforts that have been made to improve child health, data from IIMS/2016 show that in Angola, 44 out of every 1000 children still lose their lives before their fifth birthday due to common childhood diseases such as malaria, diarrheal diseases with severe dehydration, severe malnutrition, and pneumonia, as well as complications arising from premature births, namely low birth weight, hyaline membrane disease, neonatal infections and asphyxia.

Protecting nearly 800 000 people from bilharzia in four counties of South Sudan

Measuring height to determine the correct dose

In an effort to protect people at risk of bilharzia in South Sudan, the Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted mass drug administration in four counties.

The aim was to interrupt transmission and protect school-aged children and adults at risk of infection in moderate to high-risk areas of South Sudan.

Bilharzia is a significant public health problem in many countries, and preventive chemotherapy has been demonstrated to benefit affected communities. However, it is still not readily accessible by all.

Engaging private facilities to enhance real time surveillance

Engaging private facilities to enhance real time surveillance

The Ministry of Health in South Sudan, working in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), has successfully trained 128 healthcare workers from major private health facilities on the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy and reporting tools in Juba.

Validation Workshop of the National Health Policy Framework, Namibia

Dr Mary Brantuo, WHO Namibia Officer-in-Charge

WHO Namibia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) Namibia organized a two-day stakeholder workshop to validate the National Health Policy Framework (NHPF) developed with support of  WHO. The health sector strategic agenda in the country has been guided by the National Health Policy Framework (NHPF) 2010-2020 and the MoHSS Strategic Plan 2017/18-2021/22.

Strengthening Namibia’s Risk Communication Systems

Regional Teams for the RCCE training

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that health is not just a prerequisite to development but is fundamental to economies, societies, national security, and political stability.  The emphasis on ‘building back better’ allows governments across the globe to re-think their strategies for emergency preparedness and response to avoid and largely minimize the devasting impact witnessed during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.