Speech

REGIONAL FORUM ON BEST PRACTICES, Directors Joint Consultative Committee Meeting

Opening Remarks by Cheryl Anderson, Mission Director, USAID/EAST AFRICA

Arusha, Tanzania  | Monday, September 03, 2007

Chairperson, Conference of Health Ministers ECSA,
DJCC Chairperson,
Dr Steven Shongwe, Executive Secretary, ECSA Health Community,
WHO Representative,
Directors of Medical Services,
Directors of Research Institutions,
Representatives of Collaborating Partners,
Delegates, Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am delighted to be back with my friends and colleagues in Arusha and to address you at this opening ceremony of the 2007 DJCC annual meeting.

It is my understanding that the extremely important theme of this year’s DJCC meeting is “Best Practices in Health Care”.  It is also my understanding that the aims of this meeting are 1) to review a variety of best health practices in East, Central and Southern African; 2) to identify those that can be rapidly dissemination throughout the region; and 3) to agree on the methods for regional promotion of the best practices identified. 

The DJCC meeting which brings together key health practitioners and policy makers from across the region is, of course, a critical venue to review these issues. I am grateful to ECSA and Dr. Shongwe for creating the time and space for participants to exchange views on lessons learned, and to devise methods and strategies to move the agreed upon best practices into wider use.  It is the perfect venue to assist countries in moving forward to improve the lives of the people of this region.

The adoption of the MDGs constituted an unprecedented promise by world leaders to address, in a single package, peace, security, human rights and fundamental freedoms. The eight MDGs range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV, to promoting gender equality - all by the target date of 2015. Frankly, despite some forward movement, progress has been slow in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted seven years ago. Infant Mortality Rates (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rates (MMR) remain unacceptably high throughout the region.  The spread of HIV/ADIS continues and about half our brothers and sisters live in poverty. It is thus crucial to systematically re-examine the different approaches we are presently using.  We must question whether our interventions are maximizing impact.  Are we implementing the best health care practices, practices that are established, new or improved procedures and interventions that are effective, efficient, and that demonstrated positive results?  I am convinced that in part through the region wide implementation of the appropriate best practices, we have the means at hand to ensure that nearly every country can make good on its promise. Our challenge is to deploy those means.

When we look at Goal 4, that of reducing by two thirds the Under Five Mortality Rate, we acknowledge that the death of even one child is a tragic loss. Yet every year, almost 11 million children die before their fifth birthday. Some of us have embraced the need to provide inexpensive interventions such as immunizations, treatment of pneumonia and oral rehydration salts to our children.  Others have improved safe water and sanitation services in an attempt to prevent these needless deaths. In partnership with your countries, USAID continues to assist in the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, the use of insecticide treated bed nets and appropriate drugs for malaria in order to significantly reduce childhood mortality.   However we have made relatively little use of the most effective tool for reducing child mortality, the spacing of births by two to five years. Encouraging better care of mothers and babies before and after birth would also help prevent 30% of deaths that occur in the first days of life.

The Fifth MDG is to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters. Giving birth should be a time of joy but for more than half a million women each year, pregnancy and childbirth ends in death.   We know which interventions work. We have seen progress in some areas but need to come up with coordinated approaches to save women’s lives. USAID, in partnership with your ministries, is committed to this goal by scaling up training of skilled birth attendants, providing emergency obstetric care and expanding much needed child spacing and family planning services that reduce maternal mortality by nearly 25%.

Goal 6 – that of halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.  It is estimated that approximately 28 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are living with HIV. In addition to the enormous human suffering, the epidemic has reversed decades of development progress in the worst affected countries. Almost no country has escaped its wrath but there are countries represented here that are fighting and winning the battle. And you have done it with vision and leadership, providing an excellent example for other countries caught in the grip of AIDS.  The U.S. Government and USAID, through the President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief, have assisted the vulnerable to know their status thought VCT services. USAID has provided anti-retroviral therapy to prolong lives. USAID has taken on the treatment of individuals co-infected with tuberculosis. With your assistance, we have scaled up programs that decrease the risk of pregnant women transmitting HIV to their babies. We have, with your experts, launched an excellent program on treating pediatric aids.

USAID/East Africa fully appreciates the role of East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) in this region. It recognizes the value of regional organizations in providing a forum for sharing regional experiences, empowering country Ministries of Health with state-of-the-art knowledge and tools to effect reforms, addressing cross border health issues, scaling up successful programs, disseminating lessons learned in the region, and building capacities of country participants to deliver appropriate health service to meet their respective country needs. 

I reaffirm our strong commitment to address health problems in the region and to promote practices that would lead to better health for the people in the region. USAID/East Africa, in partnership with ECSA will continue to collaborate closely in helping identify cross cutting regional issues, and bringing to the fore “state of the art” practices. USAID/East Africa will continue to respond to requests for technical assistance in key areas, working with USAID Country Offices and Ministries of Health in areas where there is expressed need. In addition to supporting training of health professionals and development of regional policies and guidelines USAID/East Africa’s/Regional Health and HIV/AIDS office has, through its partners, identified and promoted over 70 best practices over the past 5 years.

We recognize that there are many challenges ahead in improving health systems but ECSA countries can make significant progress if we all join hands in partnership.   USAID considers it a privilege to be a partner in such a great endeavor. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to learning from the panel of distinguished experts how they have implemented best practices in the past and how they plan to scale up these practices in the near future.

I appreciate the opportunity to address you at this opening ceremony. I wish you a fruitful and productive meeting.

ASANTE SANA.

Thank you