By Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO Amref Health Africa

Over the past decade Africa has made tremendous gains in increasing access to immunization directly through domestic resources and multi-laterally through the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI). This laudable progress has brought the continent closer to ending several diseases such as neonatal tetanus and Meningitis A, goals that seem more achievable following the eradication of wild poliovirus in the World Health Organization (WHO)-classified African Region, a geographical area comprising of 47 countries in Africa, in August 2020.

While such milestones offer a well-deserved cause for celebration, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic…

This has been a historic year for scientific innovation, but even the most advanced science only realises its full potential if it can be delivered to those in need — a dynamic we are watching play out not only with COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, but also with innovations for HIV.

Last month, results from a new clinical trial revealed the injectable drug cabotegravir to be remarkably effective at preventing HIV in women, giving the world a powerful new tool in the fight to end AIDS by 2030. …

As new coronavirus cases are confirmed each day, fear and misinformation continue to spread more rapidly than COVID-19 itself. False or misleading claims in the media, buoyed by harmful stereotypes, have fueled discrimination and violence that revive painful histories of attributing disease outbreaks to marginalized groups. Health officials have taken note of the disturbing trend, cautioning that stigma and discrimination could undermine efforts to contain the outbreak.

This is not the first time stigma and discrimination have stymied a response to a growing epidemic and hampered progress toward critical global health goals, including universal health coverage. When HIV first came…

We all aspire to live in a world where every individual has access to the highest attainable standard of health without distinction of any kind; a world in which we all enjoy the fundamental right to make decisions about our bodies without facing any kind of opposition or barriers.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) aims to turn these aspirations into reality by strengthening health systems so that all individuals receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship. …

There was once a dream. A dream that led to the establishment of the United Nations (UN) in 1946 whereby an idealistic view of international cooperation was regarded as a key mechanism to prevent war and free humanity from widespread misery. Chapter I of the UN charter clarifies that the organization is based on the sovereign equality of all its member states while Chapter IX clarifies that the UN shall promote “higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development”. …

As part of a town hall meeting in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria last year, Zainab told a crowd of community members that she does not use the local primary health care centre because it was just too expensive. Zainab is not alone. In a country where about 145 women die daily from pregnancy-related causes [1] and only 46% of deliveries are attended to by skilled attendants (NDHS 2018) [2], the local hospital costs 2600 naira, or $8 U.S. dollars, for an uncomplicated delivery in Zainab’s agrarian community. This is a significant obstacle to the poorest in…

Introduction

The Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) in 1978 reiterated a very central component of health; the importance of community involvement and participation in health decision-making processes in order to achieve a “people-centred” health system that is robust, effective and sustainable and at the same time provides the opportunity to identify and address the needs of communities. Indeed, in more than 40 years since this declaration, this point has never become clearer than now as countries across the world work assiduously to attain Universal Health Coverage under the Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030.

Ghana’s Health Sector

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A healthy living will always be of utmost priority to every individual despite society marginalization and differences. From one age group to the other, from one tribal race to the next, regardless of disability and other experiences, lies a distinct commonality among us all and that is our health and the right to live healthy. We crave access to high-quality services that offer prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care, including access to essential medicines and vaccines without facing any financial barriers. We must have accountability on how those services are being delivered to us.

More than half of the population…