Zimpapers Logo

ADDIS ABABA. – The African Union’s partnership and coordination forum on Aids, TB and malaria last week reviewed the draft common Africa position on TB for the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on TB that is scheduled to take place in 2018. The draft common Africa position on TB was last month reviewed by the Ministry of Health TB Programme managers in Harare.

The draft focuses on six pillars which are leadership, country ownership, governance and accountability; universal and equitable access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and support; access to affordable and quality assured medicines, commodities and technologies; research and innovation; health financing and strategic information.

Promoting leadership, country ownership, governance and accountability The draft calls for sustained political commitment and calls for increased leadership, ownership, integration, governance and management of TB programmes to promote accountability.

It further calls for governments to intensify TB responses through working with African leaders as champions, cross-sector partnerships, increased oversight and accountability, improved monitoring, evaluation and reporting. While taking into consideration structural and operational barriers to achieve universal access the draft calls for Member States to scale up TB programmes to reach, find, treat and cure all people with TB.

It further calls for multi-drug resistant TB to be declared a global emergency and health security threat so that it can be addressed properly in most affected countries. The draft further calls for TB services to be accessible in congested settings, high risk areas including prisons, mines and areas affected by conflict and humanitarian emergencies to help guarantee that no one is left behind.

The Common Africa Position calls for African governments to pursue new innovations and ensure access to affordable and quality assured medicines, commodities and technologies for TB. The draft calls for governments to strengthen collaboration with research institutions to enhance innovation and evidence informed policies and programmes as well as increased investments in research and innovation.

Africa will also push for increased domestic and international funding to health through innovative financing mechanisms, social health insurance schemes and increased allocations at various levels.

Strategic information

The Common Africa position also calls for improved data to inform policy and programmes for TB.

The Commission has lined up various consultation meetings ahead of the UN meeting. – http://www.au.int