my presentation to health ministers 16 april 2015

Resilient Health Systems Lessons from Ebola

DÉSIRÉ ASSOGBAVI Head of Oxfam Liaison Office to the African Union 16 April 2014

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About Oxfam

Leyla, 76, working in her rice field, Malawi.Credit: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam

Our vision is a just

world without

poverty.

We want a world

where people are

valued and treated

equally, enjoy their

rights as full

citizens, and can

influence decisions

affecting their lives.

Scoop of my Presentation

About Oxfam

Why do we need a Strong Healthcare System?

The 6 Essential Elements of a resilient Health

System

Finance a resilient Healthcare System?: by Save

the Children…

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Oxfam is About • Finding practical & innovative ways for people to lift themselves out

of poverty and to end injustices that cause it

• Work with citizens, communities, governments and intergovernmental bodies to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihood and participate in decisions that affect them

• We are a global confederation working together with partners in

more than 90 countries including 38 in Africa – 10,000 Staff

• We spend more than 1 Billion USD annually on humanitarian, development programs, research, campaign and advocacy

• Our response to Ebola: $35 Million = Liberia, Sierra Leone… Over 1.1 Million covered = WatSan + Hygiene Material

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Why do we need a resilient

Healthcare System?

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„When Ebola came,

one woman was

having her baby at

home. It died

because there was

nowhere to go, no

hospital. We need a

hospital here. We

need a health

system.‟

Elizabeth Cuffy, Fundaye

Community, New Kru

Town, Liberia.

Credit: Renata Rendón/Oxfam

Why Do We Need a Strong & Resilient Health Care System?

Weak Health Care system gives easy way to outbreaks such

as Ebola

Universal access to healthcare will reduce the threat from

Outbreak and epidemics and other to spread so quickly

The best defense against such killer diseases is a Resilient

Healthcare

UHC, vital to improve health outcome and Prevent

thousands of unnecessary deaths each year

The risk of having Ebola back is 30% in 1 year & 50% in 2

years

For a more equal society we need Health not Wealth

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The 6 Essential Elements of a resilient Health System

Adequate number of trained health workers + non-clinical

Staff +Community health Workers

Available Medical Supplies (medicine, diagnostics and

vaccines) : through changing the global system for

stimulating research and development to ensure

incentives beyond those based on intellectual property, and

through building functioning drug supply chains.

Robust Health Information System: Need to provide

evidence for health planning, resource allocation and

impact assessment.

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“Before, people would do their own medicine at home.

Now people come to us to hear about other sicknesses

like cholera and malaria, and we talk to them about

immunisations for the children to keep good health.”

Moses, Community Health Volunteer

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Betty Kruah (pink top), Moses Dahn, Helena Dahn are community health volunteers in rural

Nimba county in eastern Liberia.

Credit: Melanie Kramers/Oxfam

The 6 Essential Elements. Cont

Adequate number of well equipped and accessible Health

facilities including access to clean water and sanitation:

Geographical access, capacity for quality service, connection

to functioning referral facilities, WASH

A Strong Public Sector for an Equitable & Quality Service

Adequate Financing… : Examples (Oxfam): Universal

Primary Care in Sierra Leone = $419 M/year - Liberia =

$279M/year – Guinea Bissau = $132M/year – FFD ?

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A one-room clinic providing health care to 11,000 people in Nimba, Liberia

Credit/Melanie Kramers/Oxfam

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merci !

Contact: Desire.Assogbavi@Oxfaminternational.org

Blog: assodesire.wordpress.com

Tel.: +251 911208332