By Kalata News,
LUSAKA – Zambia is playing host to the Third International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA).
The Conference which opened Monday is being held under the theme “Breaking Barriers: Repositioning Africa in the Global Health Architecture,” and is expected to be attended by over 6,000 delegates from across Africa.
The four-day conference has brought together researchers, policymakers, health ministers, players in the health sector and public health experts.
Among the high profile attendees include the Zambian President, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, World Health Organisation (WHO) boss Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Director General, Africa Centre for Disease Control Africa (Africa CDC) Dr Jean Kaseya Africa CDC. Others are Ministers of Health from Zambia, Rwanda and other countries.
The conference is being hosted in the capital Lusaka at the famous Mulungushi Conference by the Zambia National Public Health Initiative (ZNPHI) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) supported by WHO and Africa CDC.
During the official opening, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema underscored the importance of collaboration and leadership at all levels of the health system in Africa.
President Hichilema called on local private investment into the health sector so medicines and other health products are locally produced.
He also said that collaboration would result in improved efficiency in healthcare delivery even in times when resources are scarce.
It is expected that the Conference will result in more concrete strategies for African countries to deal the national and global health challenges, after being exposed by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Health communicators are also expecting budgetary increase in support of their work so that more health journalists are trained and more awareness supported for community and social behavioural change (SBCC).
