The meeting of the SADC Ministers of Health and Ministers responsible for HIV & AIDS underscores our shared commitment to addressing the most pressing health challenges in the region. This was said by Honorable Dr Douglas Mombeshora, Minister of Health and Child Care of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Chairperson of the SADC Ministerial Committee on Health at the annual meeting of Ministers of Health in Harare, Republic of Zimbabwe on 7th November 2024.
Honourable Minister Dr Mombeshora highlighted that the challenges of global health threats, including HIV & AIDS, TB and Malaria require swift and decisive action. The Honorable Minister emphasized the importance of implementation of programmes for better health outcomes. The Minister also emphasized the importance of the timely implementation of the meeting’s resolutions to address the health threats and pave a way for meaningful progress and demonstrate collective resolve to combat health challenges in the SADC Region.
Ministers noted the epidemiological situation of disease outbreaks in the region and urged Member States to share information on epidemic-prone diseases, with other Member States in a timely manner, to address cross-border transmission and continue to implement preventive measures against the outbreaks. They commended the Africa Centres for Disease Control and other International Cooperating Partners for the solidarity and support to Member States and directed the SADC Secretariat to accelerate the development of a Regional Dashboard in collaboration with International Cooperating Partners. In addition, Ministers underscored the importance of local and regional manufacturing, with an emphasis on supporting investments in manufacturing. This will ensure health security for the region, including adequate commodities, medicines, and vaccines.
Ministers also deliberated on vaccine preventable diseases especially among children and emphasized that in order to reach zero dose children, an urgent and sustained action is necessary to reach children who have missed routine immunization, as well as re-institute disrupted immunization services including outreach services and expandimmunization programmes to the hard-to-reach communities, especially post-COVID-19.
For her part, Ms. Angele Makombo Ntumba, SADC Deputy Secretary for Regional Integration underscored the importance for Member States to actively participate in the development and ratification of the Pandemic Treaty and the revision of the International Health Regulations (IHR). Currently the Pandemic Treaty and IHR review is being finalized by WHO Member States and it is expected that negotiations should be completed by the time of the 78th World Health Assembly in 2025. She outlined that these instruments are crucial[..] as they will assist Member States prepare for subsequent pandemics and support efforts in building resilient and sustainable regional health systems.
She highlighted that the challenges that affect health systems in the SADC region are immense and deep rooted because of the under-investment in the health sector including in such areas such as surgical healthcare, which is a key area, yet neglected. In the area of Surgical Health Care, SADC Secretariat is working with the WHO and the SADC Regional Collaborative Centre (hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand) to develop a Regional Strategy on Surgical, Obstetrics and Anaesthesia Care which will assist Member States to strengthen surgical health care at all levels of the health system.
She commended the region for the positive steps in the HIV response as the number of new infections and the AIDS related deaths in 2023, decreased by 57% and 52% respectively.
Regarding the Cross-border Referral System, the Ministers noted the progress and achievements made in the roll out and implementation of the Cross-Border Referral System and directed the SADC Secretariat, working with International Cooperating Partners , including the East, Central and Southern Africa - Health Community (ECSA-HC), to mobilise additional resources, including from the private sector, to sustain the Cross-Border Referral System as an Information Management System for Health in all Member States.
Ministers noted the efforts by Member States to end preventable maternal mortality and commended Member States who are taking steps to end preventable maternal mortality. They also noted progress made in the implementation of SADC’s SRHR Strategy 2019-2030 and further noted important initiatives such as the 2gether4SRH and Team Europe Initiatives which contribute to the efforts that SADC is undertaking. As part of this meeting, a dedicated side event was held to disseminate the Results of the 2gether4SRH programme.
The Ministers endorsed the SADC Strategy and Implementation Plan on the Prevention of Overweight and Obesity 2024-2030 and urged Member States to develop and implement country action plans. It is to be noted that overweight and obesity are a major concern for the SADC Region and contribute to a high incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases. Data from a 2023 SADC Landscape Analysis on Overweight and Obesity indicates that the adult overweight and obesity rate in SADC ranges from 25%-55% and about 5 Member States range from 40-55%. These high rates are attributed to bad eating habits and Member States are urged to focus on preventive measures to address subsequent occurrence of NCDs which pose a constraint to health systems and the fiscus, as treatment and management of NCDs has been proven to be very costly.
The Ministers endorsed the 2024 SADC HIV and AIDS Epidemic Report and urged Member States to implement the recommendations outlined in the report, expand integrated care and accelerate efforts to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B, increase ART coverage for children and adolescents to ensure equity of treatment access, and extend support and solidarity to the Republic of Madagascar for the concerted action against the rising HIV epidemic in Madagascar. It is to be noted that Madagascar has continued to face high HIV incidence and SADC with the support of the UN and other international partners have deployed support to Madagascar including a detailed study to investigate this pattern of high HIV incidence.
Ministers also considered a report on Health Financing Initiatives in the region including actions undertaken by Member States in implementing health financing reforms. Ministers underscored the importance of engaging private sector as well as undertaking South -South learning of best practices among Member States.
