The African Development Bank Group and the World Health Organisation have announced plans to enhance their collaboration in order to elevate the status of primary healthcare in Africa. This decision was made during a meeting between the Bank Group’s President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, and the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on the sidelines of the Islamic Development Bank’s annual meetings in Riyadh.
Dr. Adesina emphasized the significance of investing in Africa's primary healthcare infrastructure, stating, "Investing in continent’s primary healthcare infrastructure could solve 85 per cent of Africa’s healthcare problems." He also underscored the importance of being proactive in healthcare readiness, cautioning, "We must be prepared for the next pandemic and go beyond dealing with emergencies. That means, investing in our primary healthcare infrastructure."
Dr. Tedros echoed Dr. Adesina's sentiments, stressing the critical role of primary healthcare in disease prevention and control. He highlighted the need for improved health sector financing and policies, particularly at the primary level, stating, "If you have strong surveillance at the primary healthcare level, it can detect and prevent cases early. It can prevent outbreaks and epidemics. Preparedness and response rely heavily on primary healthcare."
While acknowledging some progress, Dr. Tedros pointed out the challenges that still exist, noting, "Water remains a big problem." He also mentioned the disparity in funding allocation, stating that a majority of donor funding goes towards healthcare services rather than infrastructure development.
In response to these shared goals and challenges, both leaders agreed to intensify their efforts towards advancing primary healthcare in Africa. They committed to working collaboratively to address key areas identified for improvement and to scale up initiatives aimed at delivering quality primary healthcare across the continent.
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