Advances In Population Health -Tackling Inequalities And Access: A One Health Approach

Advancing health equity and ownership in Africa is not merely a moral imperative; it is an essentialpathway to harnessing the vast potential of the continent. (Source: Health Policy Watch)

If there is one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us as an African continent, there is health inequality of a huge magnitude and this needs to be addressed. If not, then achieving universal health coverage (UHC) will be a talk and nothing more. Gaps in the healthcare system in the continent have  been evident with different high-level reports being submitted with recommendations on what needs  to be done as we prepare for the next pandemic or the next public health threat. Vaccine hoarding  was witnessed with intellectual rights that pharmaceutical companies held on making vaccine  production in Africa nearly impossible. 

As we become more self-reliant as a continent with talks on how to decolonize healthcare in Africa  something that has kept governments and the private sector awake, it is time to address health as a  whole. The recently concluded COP28 touched on Climate Change and how health is the face of  climate change but we shouldn’t forget that we do not inhabit the world alone. We need to look at  health from the lens of humans, animals, plants and our environment. Look at it from a One Health  perspective as the movement of people and animals takes place every day and having a surveillance system that can keep track of the spread of zoonotic disease is needed but lacking.  

It is time to tackle health inequalities, disparities and response from the 3 Cs perspective as per the  Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) which are: 

• Communication 

• Coordination and  

• Collaboration 

The above needs to happen among humans, animals, environmental health and other partners. But how do we achieve One Health in Africa despite the many gaps within the healthcare system from inadequate healthcare personnel, lack of modern health devices and medicine, lack of healthcare budget from African governments and the missing last mile aspect? One way is through partnerships in healthcare and community empowerment as this plays a crucial role in strengthening systems, by embracing a One Health approach. 

This strategy spans the continent, emphasizing the enhancement of maternal, neonatal, and child health to foster community empowerment and resilience. The 21st century confronts critical health issues in the form of climate change and harm reduction, signalling potential threats that could claim lives through hunger and tropical diseases if left unaddressed. This is why the World Health  Organization (WHO) has incorporated the ‘One Health and ALL Hazards Approach’ into the overall agenda as a holistic approach toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

With a focus on population health and fostering sustainability across the African health sector through shared learning, collaboration, and partnerships, Zenith Global Health is providing a platform in Accra,  Ghana, from 22nd to 23rd April 2023 for African countries to discuss what this means for Africa and its people. Under the theme “Advances in Population Health -Tackling Inequalities and Access: A One  Health Approach. The agenda below highlights the AHAS 2024 itinerary on the high-level discussions that are to take place.