Hi Shabir

It’s been a while since I last sent a “Quick Share” — the last one was back in October 2021. Since then, much has unfolded.

After completing my term as President of WONCA Africa and continuing as Member-at-Large on WONCA Executive, I continued sharing updates as Executive Coordinator of the African Forum for Primary Health Care (AfroPHC), guiding our collective efforts to strengthen PHC teams across the continent. In my last AfroPHC email in May 2023, we proudly launched the AfroPHC Statement: A Call to Africa — a powerful consensus document shaped by health workers across the region, advocating for effective, team-based primary care as the foundation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). You can read it here: 👉 https://afro-phc.org/2020/11/26/afrophc-statement/

At about that time, I stepped back from both WONCA World and AfroPHC, choosing to focus fully on leading Family Medicine in the Johannesburg Health District and contributing to the implementation of South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI). There was much work done leading Gauteng’s Proof of Concept (POC) Contracting Unit for Primary Health Care (CUP) in Chiawelo, Soweto.

I had considered standing again for the WONCA World Executive during this year’s election cycle, especially with the global conference taking place in Lisbon (17–21 Sept). But a more urgent moral imperative has taken precedence: Palestine.

I’ve been deeply disappointed by the lack of strong, principled leadership from global health institutions — including WONCA — in response to the ongoing crisis in Palestine. Silence or equivocation in the face of humanitarian catastrophe undermines our credibility as healers. I’ve written publicly about this, calling for moral clarity over false neutrality: 👉 https://profmoosa.com/woncas-statement-on-gaza-is-not-enough-we-need-moral-clarity-not-equivalence/. I also urge all of you to sign the letter by Healthcare Workers for Palestine to WONCA, calling for suspension of Israel, within its organisation: 👉 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV91BV8LjHhypYlZVapXWsku0PJ9yTOPxJtcu3-mRvZ8VCRg/viewform

I’m heartened that the South African Academy of Family Physicians (SAAFP) recently passed an urgent motion on Palestine, affirming our duty to speak out. Read more here: 👉  https://profmoosa.com/a-call-for-moral-leadership-at-the-saafp-agm-2025/ I hope other WONCA members will do the same and build towards a definitive WONCA Council motion on Palestine. I urge you to see more about the Caucus of Family Doctors for Global Justice here and join this Caucus to move this along. 👉https://profmoosa.com/family-doctors-for-global-justice/

🌐 Leading NHI & Strategic Purchasing for UHC

As of 1st July 2025, I’ve taken on a new role as Lead for Provider Contracting within the User and Service Provider Management Cluster in the NHI Branch at the National Department of Health. This position places me at the heart of shaping how services are purchased under NHI — a critical lever for equity, quality, and efficiency. See more here: 👉 https://www.health.gov.za/nhi/

In parallel, I’m leading the Wits SP4UHC Research Group (Strategic Purchasing for Universal Health Coverage), hosted by Wits Family Medicine. Our mission is to generate evidence and foster dialogue on what strategic purchasing means in the African context. See more here: 👉  https://profmoosa.com/sp4uhc-research/ 📢 Join the Wits Webinar Series! Our first session is scheduled for Wednesday, 15 October, 1:00–2:30 PM (CAT). We’ll be exploring foundational global frameworks for UHC — including the World Health Report 2010 and the Astana Declaration — and critically examining how current proposals (NHI, HFA, UHAC) align with them. If you are interested in research JOIN US. 🔗 Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-jpsS_oM0GqlYah4-jNylHLkRiE4BENe8Ypj8RAdvtcKDOw/viewform . We will share zoom links from this and inform on the rest of the series.

💡 Innovating PHC: AI & AfroPHC MOOVE

We’re also excited to be piloting an innovative project in partnership with Wits and Light Technology, exploring the potential of AI chatbots to support PHC teams across Africa. The initiative, called AfroPHC MOOVE, aims to test whether conversational AI can enhance clinical decision-making, CPD, and team coordination in resource-constrained settings.

We’ll be hosting a co-design session to gather input from frontline providers and digital health champions.
📅 Two time slots available:

  • Tuesday, 23 September | 1:00–3:00 PM (CAT)
  • Tuesday, 30 September | 1:00–3:00 PM (CAT)

👉 Let me know if you’d like to participate — your insights are crucial. 🔗 Register here: https://forms.gle/zkdTypeESXqUHihq5

📍 Zoom links and background documents will be shared upon registration.

🔍 Looking Back, Moving Forward

Reflecting on the journey so far, I’m reminded of the early days of AfroPHC — from our virtual workshops in 2020 on Building Teamwork for PHC in Africa, to the development of our policy framework supported by the PHC Performance Initiative micro-grant, to our regional consultations and youth engagement.

Those efforts helped lay the groundwork for a pan-African movement rooted in collaboration, complexity-aware design, and bottom-up innovation. If you’re interested in revisiting that evolution, explore the archive:👉 https://afro-phc.org

And for a broader look at my work over the past few years — including publications, editorials, and reflections — visit: 👉https://profmoosa.com

Thank you for walking this path with me. Your engagement, ideas, and solidarity matter deeply — especially now. Please share this email with colleagues who might benefit. Let’s keep learning, speaking up, and building health systems that truly serve people.

Pray, keep well and safe.

Warm regards,
Prof. Shabir Moosa, MBBCh, MFamMed, PhD
Lead, Provider Contracting | NHI Branch, National Department of Health
Honorary Associate Professor, Family Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand
Founder/Board Member, African Forum for Primary Health Care (Afro-PHC)
📧 shabir@profmoosa.com | 🌐 profmoosa.com