East African Community Ministers of Health and Finance Adopt a Regional Framework of Action on Sustainable Financing for Health & HIV

On 23 June 2016, the East African Community Ministers of Health and Finance adopted a regional framework of action on sustainable financing of Universal Health and HIV coverage. This was during the High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Sustainable Financing held at the EAC secretariat in Arusha with support from the Regional Team for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, supported by Sweden and Norway.

The meeting was attended by over 60 participants, including Ministers of Health & Finance, permanent secretaries to the Ministers, Members of the parliament, heads of National AIDS Control Council, development partners including USAID, SIDA and GIZ, UN agencies including UNAIDS and UNDP, and civil society. KELIN was represented at this meeting by Mr. Allan Maleche, the Executive Director.

The ministers at the end of the dialogue issued a communiqué that further saw them commit to the following actions:

  1. Conduct efficiency audits in the health sector to inform our policies on efficiency improvement in delivery of quality health care;
  2. Implement mechanisms to strengthen health regulatory authorities to ensure delivery of quality health care in pursuit of Universal Health Coverage;
  3. Design and implement innovative financing mechanisms to ensure sustainable access and optimal utilisation of quality healthcare services;
  4. Promote the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), research and evidence to inform the development of health and HIV investment cases that will enable advocacy towards Universal Health Care (UHC) Financing;
  5. Promote multi-sectoral synergies including Public Private Partnerships at national and sub national level to leverage additional health and HIV financing in the Partner States; and
  6. Support and participate in convening of the 1st EAC Summit on Investment in Health with the aim of attaining health related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 in all Partner States.

“These commitments are key in ensuring the partners states work towards achieving universal health coverage, as envisioned by SDGs, however we must remember to infuse a rights based approach in all the actions that we take toward realizing UHC. I am glad that the Ministers present noted the concern over out pocket expense and its danger to make people poor.” said Mr. Maleche at the close of the meeting.

 

 Full Communique 

Download

To continue contributing to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platforms:

Twitter: @KELINKenya using these hashtags: #SDGs, #Right2Health, and #UHC4All

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya

For more information contact:

Allan Maleche

Executive Director,

Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN)

4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road

Tel +254202515790; Cell +254708389870

Email: amaleche@kelinkenya.org