Brazzaville, 21 February 2014 -- The World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo has urged governments to accelerate efforts towards ensuring that all people are able to access quality health services - including the appropriate mix of preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care, without suffering financial hardship paying for them.

He made the remarks today in Brazzaville during his annual briefing on the state of health in the African Region. The event was attended by representatives of international organizations and members of the diplomatic community accredited to the Republic of Congo.

Addressing the envoys under the theme, “Universal Health Care and Health Financing in the African Region,” the Regional Director said: “Health is a fundamental human right and improving the health of the population is a critical condition for sustainable socio-economic development”.

Dr Sambo pointed out that achieving universal health coverage requires strong health systems. He said that the commitment of Heads of State and Ministers of health is a manifestation of the existence of political will, although adequate financial resources are required in order to translate the political will into concrete action towards universal health coverage.

Congo’s Minister of Small, Medium Enterprises and Handicraft, Madame Adélaïde Yvonne MOUGANY, commended Dr Sambo for choosing universal health coverage and health financing as this year’s theme of his annual meeting with the diplomatic corps. She urged Member States to allocate at least 15% of their annual budgets to the health sector, as agreed in the Abuja Declaration signed by African Heads of State in 2001.

The Minister requested that, given its importance, ‘universal health coverage and health financing’ should feature on the agenda of the 64th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa scheduled for later this year in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

Madam MOUGANY then acknowledged WHO’s technical support to countries even against the background of  the current international environment marked by recession and other challenges, and re-affirmed her country’s commitment to translating international commitments in the field of health into practice. 

Speaking on behalf of the diplomatic community, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Brazzaville, Madam Marie Charlotte Fayanga, also applauded the choice of theme for this year’s meeting. She recalled the 2001 Abuja Declaration as well as the several declarations signed by health ministers aimed at addressing communicable and non-communicable diseases, and health improvement in general.

The Ambassador stated that countries were demonstrating the political will to meet these commitments, as demonstrated by efforts they were making to pay their contributions to the Fund established to address health  issues.

She however added that much still needed to be done, pointing out that HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis malaria, neglected tropical diseases as well as the current gloomy economic climate in the Region and the prevalence of wars or conflicts in some areas were leaving many people in distress.

She ended her statement with a pledge: “We diplomats accredited in Brazzaville, WHO headquarters, are determined advocate with our respective governments so that they meet the health needs of our people and to provide them with the quality of care they need”.

Today’s meeting with members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Republic of Congo is the fifth organised by the WHO Regional Office for Africa.