SPARC and Amref Health Africa’s Dr. Githinji Gitahi highlight the importance of strategic health purchasing at a special session of the African Union

SPARC was invited to develop a topical paper on domestic resource mobilization for the Third Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Health, Population and Drug Control (STC-HPDC-3). Focused on this year’s theme ‘Increased Domestic Financing for Universal Health Coverage and Health Security for All African Citizens — Including Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced persons,’ the paper highlighted the importance of strategic purchasing in meeting the commitments made by African countries to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) — ensuring all citizens in a country have access to quality, essential health services without enduring financing hardship.

On Monday July 29^th, Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO of Amref Health Africa,  presented this paper in Cairo to senior officials from ministries of health, population and drug control in the AU Member States, AU Organs, Regional Economic Communities, as well as Pan-African and International Organizations working in the areas of concern. The paper provided the following recommendations to the STC-HPDC to support countries’ progress towards UHC:

1. Move toward progressive realization of UHC by prioritizing the needs of society’s most deprived and vulnerable, including refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons; through public subsidies and not pro-poor programs or schemes that create a two-tiered health system that entrench inequalities. Expand coverage to other less vulnerable groups as resources increase.
2. Ensure progress towards UHC is achieved through increased prioritization of health sector needs combined with increased allocation of public resources for health.
3. Make most effective use of resources through strategic health purchasing, including prioritizing primary health care which can address up to 90 percent of a population’s health needs — and save lives — by providing access to comprehensive and quality services throughout a patient’s life.
4. The African Union can play an important role in distilling and synthesizing country lessons to break down regional and linguistic silos across the continent and promote cross-country learning.

Find links to the full paper and brief delivered to the STC-HPDC here.