“Gender inequality denies women and girls much-needed access to health services. When we developed Rwanda’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) framework, we were mindful of creating gender-centric policies that address barriers in women’s right to health care,” said Hon. Rwakazina.
The closing plenary also saw the official launch of the Women in Global Health Africa Regional Hub, a platform that aims to bring gender equality to global health leadership.
The conference concluded with the release of an official communiqué, providing a blueprint for achieving UHC in Africa. In the declaration, African health leaders called for an increase in domestic financing and greater political prioritization for evidence-based, cost-effective solutions that would expand access to quality health services and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Eleven parliamentarians from Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia also launched the ‘Kigali UHC communiqué’, committing to strengthen health systems, address health inequities, support community health and ensure universal access to immunization to drive progress on UHC in their countries.
“We are delighted at the diverse participation of leaders from across sectors and are thankful for their contributions to improving health care in Africa. The conference communiqué, released today, calls for increased political commitment to financing UHC, an investment in Africa’s future health workforce, and accountability and inclusion mechanisms allowing people to make their voices heard,” said Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO, Amref Health Africa.
The 3-day conference was co-hosted by Rwanda’s Ministry of Health and Amref Health Africa, to discuss the progress made toward UHC in Africa and accelerate indigenous solutions to address some of the continent’s greatest health challenges. The conference brought together over 1,500 participants, including health ministers, the private sector and civil society leaders, representatives from multilateral organizations, media and vital voices from 49 countries.
On the first day of the conference, President Paul Kagame received the “UHC Presidential Champion” award for his relentless political leadership and accountability to advance UHC in Rwanda and serving as an example for the region. In the past few years, Rwanda has significantly improved its focus on health care and managed to bring 90% of its population under the popular community-based insurance scheme. “Thank you Amref Health Africa for this recognition, on my behalf and on behalf of the people of Rwanda. We owe this progress to partners like you who have joined forces with us in our journey to deliver a dignified and healthy life for all Rwandans,” said President Kagame.
Health ministers from Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda also shared their countries’ progress on UHC at the meeting and reaffirmed commitment to achieve UHC by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. “I am thankful to my counterparts and political leaders from other countries who have participated in this very important conference. Africa stands at a critical juncture on the path to universal health coverage – it is crucial that we view health system strengthening, expansion of health coverage and improvements in quality of care not as a cost to our nations, but as an investment for the future,” said Hon. Dr Diane Gashumba, Minister of Health, Rwanda.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a sponsor of the conference, brought together leaders from government, NGOs and the private sector, to discuss harnessing the role of community health workers to achieve UHC. In the last six years, GSK has reinvested 20% of its profits generated in the least developed nations. This has helped support the training of 40,000 health workers and reached 11 million people across 35 countries with improved access to healthcare.
The conference consisted of scientific tracks, main plenaries, thematic symposia and interactive workshops on important topics including financing of quality health services, ensuring access to health services in conflict-affected countries and regions, and the centrality of primary health care in the UHC agenda.
The Africa Health Agenda International Conference (Africa Health 2019) is an African-led global convening, bringing together diverse stakeholders to address how Africa can accelerate progress toward UHC and to collectively chart a course forward, from commitment to action.
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