KELIN advocates for financing of Universal Health Coverage at the 2017 Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting

On 20th May 2017, KELIN’s Acting Deputy Executive Director, Ms Saoyo Tabitha, represented the organization in the Commonwealth civil society forum that was hosted in Geneva. This year’s forum, which was led by Commonwealth Foundation’s Director, Vijay Krishnarayan and Deputy Director, Myn Garcia was designed as a precursor to the Commonwealth Health Ministers meeting that was scheduled for 21st May 2017.

The aim of the civil society forum was to ensure that the less heard voices of Commonwealth citizens are given a platform; to amplify in advance and influence issues being considered by the Health Ministers; and to deepen the discussions and give perspective on three key topics namely: Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the politics of wellbeing and structural violence against women in healthcare settings.

Although predominantly a civil society forum, the meeting was graced by the Minister of Health from Barbados, Mr. John Boyce, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Zambia, Dr Jabbin Mulwanda, and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland.

As a result of the civil society forum, several recommendations were adopted including:

  1. The need to critically evaluate the funding models of Commonwealth countries that have achieved UHC, and make recommendations as to how this evidence and the lessons learned from these models can be transferred to other Commonwealth countries as appropriate;
  2. The desire for Commonwealth Health Ministers, in pursuing the goal of achieving or improving UHC in their countries, to involve civil society in decisions on how UHC is to be provided and financed;
  3. Commonwealth Health Ministers should lobby for their national statistics institutes to include internationally harmonized wellbeing questions in large-scale regular official surveys, and to report data in a timely fashion; and
  4. Commonwealth governments ought to make a declaration to end all forms of violence, identify and commit to instituting mechanisms to address both interpersonal and structural
KELIN’s Acting Deputy Executive Director, Ms Saoyo Tabitha, poses with Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health – Dr Cleophas Mailu at the Commonwealth civil society forum that was hosted in Geneva

Given the limited participation opportunities that civil society have as observers during the Health Ministers Forum, this meeting served as a great platform to allow prior deliberations and meaningful engagement in the above topics of discussion.

To contribute to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platforms: Twitter: @KELINKenya #CCSF17 or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya

 

For more information contact:

 

Tabitha Saoyo – Acting Deputy Executive Director & Programme Manager

Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, KELIN

4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road

Tel +254202515790; Cell +254 790 339963;

Email:tsaoyo@kelinkenya.org