Zimbabwe is set to host the 67th Regional Committee Conference of the World Health Organization in Victoria Falls set to run from 28 August to the 1st of September 2017.
Addressing the media in Harare on Thursday, Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa said the conference which is set to be officially opened by President Robert Mugabe will tackle issues such as human resources in the health sector, road safety and drug resistance among others.
“We are going to look at health human resources, issue of road safety, inequities in the health industry, develop investment case for health, issue of drug resistance among others,
“Of concern also is educate people on adherence to drugs and be consistent,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
Speaking at the same event, WHO Regional Director, Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti said the international health conference will be attended by 34 ministers of health from different member countries and 47 Sub Saharan countries.
“It is a key meeting in which all member states discuss issues on how to improve health sector in Africa,
“Issues like health and environment, climate change impacts on health, non-communicable diseases (HIV, TB and Malaria), and improving the health systems in the African region,” said Moeti.
According to Moeti, the meeting will be chaired by the new Director General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“He is going to look at how countries are preparing for epidemics, health system development in the African region, Universal health coverage and protest for the environment for the first time,” said Moeti.
She added that major health inequities that have been a problem in the African region will be discussed in depth at the conference.
“Things are not equal for everybody, some groups are disadvantaged in terms of being healthy, level of education, poverty, gender,” said Moeti.
She further noted that WHO will be going green as it will distribute mobile tablets to all delegates as a way of discouraging the use of papers.
“We have created an app were we are asking ministers to download the app. We are also going to distribute tablets to all delegates to desist from the use of paper,” said Moeti.
