Prime Minister Meles Zenawi opens WHO meeting, proposes measures to tackle health worker shortage in Africa

Addis Ababa, 28 August 2006 -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has described the shortage and high turnover of health workers in Africa as a “major threat” to the achievement of Africa’s health goals and proposed two concrete measures to address the problem.

"We need to focus on producing middle and lower level health professionals …and we need to produce these categories of health professionals on a massive scale to achieve universal coverage in the shortest possible time,” Mr. Zenawi said as he officially opened the 56th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa on Monday.

He stated that the current health situation in Africa called for a dramatic scaling up of key services and the strengthening of health systems. These make “improved and effective partnership with Africa by the international community indispensable and an imperative necessity", he said. The Prime Minister insisted on the need to use existing initiatives such as GAVI and GFATM to increase coverage of health services

He added: “Demanding programmes like those for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, among others, are putting a lot of pressure on health systems in Africa. As a consequence, there is an urgent need for substantial investment in capacity building in terms of human resources and infrastructure in order to increase the carrying capacity of the health system and to ensure sustainability of the various programmes.”

In his intervention, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Stop TB, Mr. Jorge Sampaio, a former President of Portugal, said that TB remained “ an unacceptable global emergency, particularly in the African Region”.

Mr. Sampaio also spoke of the need for concerted action by the international community to address the financial, managerial, infrastructural and clinical challenges in TB control.

The Envoy also outlined steps that should be taken to control TB in Africa. These are: enhancing and expanding the proven WHO-recommended directly-observed treatment short-course (DOTS); aggressively addressing TB/HIV co-infection; strengthening health systems; empowering communities and people with TB in TB control; engaging all care providers in TB control methods, and promoting research on new TB vaccines, diagnostic tools, medicines and evaluation of approaches for the delivery of control interventions.

Addressing the session, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, commended the renewed commitment of African leaders to HIV prevention in the region. He also called for innovative and far-reaching reforms of health systems, and
the introduction of results-based management in national health services.

The Regional Director reported on the progress made with regard to the control of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, cholera, Ebola, Marburg, polio, Guinea worm, leprosy, and onchocerciasis as well as the implementation of priority interventions for the achievement of the MDGs.

Dr Sambo informed delegates that he had established inter-country teams (in Harare, Libreville and Ouagadougou) to ensure provision of adequate technical support to countries, thus allowing the Brazzaville-based Regional Office to concentrate on policy development and providing strategic directions. He stated that the inter-country teams would be an asset in supporting countries in accelerating the implementation of health programmes related to the Millennium Development Goals.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Prof. Alpha Konare, stressed the need for African countries to work together in the face of the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and the H5N1 avian influenza virus. He expressed satisfaction with the work done by Mozambican Health Minister, Prof. Paulo Ivo Garrido, who was Chairman of the 55th Regional Committee in 2005.

Also speaking at the occasion, WHO Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Ms Liya Kebede, urged the Ministers of Health to continue to strive for the achievement of the MDGs through safe motherhood, newborn and child health programmes. She said urgent action was needed to address the direct and indirect causes of maternal death, put an end to harmful traditional practices, and improve access to quality maternal and child health services.

In his statement, the Acting Director-General of WHO, Dr Anders Nordstrom, thanked the government of Ethiopia for hosting the fifty-sixth session of the Regional Committee and pledged WHO's continued support to countries in the region. He recalled the important role played by Dr Lee Jong-wook during his short mandate as WHO Director-General. He noted that Dr Lee's policy was to concentrate a sizable proportion of WHO's resources in countries and expressed satisfaction that this policy was being implemented in the African Region.

For further information contact:

Samuel T. Ajibola
Tel: + 47 241 39378
In Addis Ababa : 0911 53 23 32
Email: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int