Africa needs to use resources to better healthcare

Lazarus Sauti

The African continent is forecasted to achieve the fastest growth in the world over the next ten years and improving health will be a key driver to Africa realising this potential.

Since health delivery will be key, countries within and across Africa must use available resources to better healthcare systems in their respective nations.

Nigerian medical doctor, Chijioke Kaduru notes, “While raising more money for health is crucial for lower-income countries striving to move closer to universal coverage, it is just as important to get the most out of the resources available.”

Kaduru’s assertion suits well the African environment as most – if not all – countries in Africa are resource endowed.

These countries should therefore dedicate their available resources to better the health conditions for the better of citizens.

To successfully achieve this goal, people-centered and integrated health services should be prioritised as critical ingredients for reaching not only regional and continental but universal health coverage.

Kaduru said: “People-centered care is care that is focused and organised around the health needs and expectations of people and communities, rather than on diseases; and it includes attention to the health of people in their communities and their crucial role in shaping health policy and health services.”

It is not a secret that people-centered care as a principle is driven by efficiency in the use of health of resources, towards priority issues, and with sustainable interventions.

Therefore, advancement towards people-centered care in the continent should be touted as the only way to guarantee a healthier future for today’s young Africans and the coming generations.

More so, to successfully use available resources for the benefit of Africa and her citizenry, there is need for a shift in how Africa’s leaders, policy makers and players in the health care sector do their work.

Stakeholders need to be mindful of health policies that are filled with social image consciousness and techniques that address acute problems.

They should be more prudent to prioritise the improvement of state health facilities and provision of social health insurance to students, children under five and pregnant women across the continent.

Training is also of paramount importance.

Zola Madikizela, a Population Health Programme Executive in South Africa explains: “Common sense and research show that youth who are trained in or near their home communities are much more likely to return to those communities to provide care. Without more indigenous health professionals, we will never improve the health of the population.”

Investing in health care education is a sustainable way of improving the lives of Africans since it provides Africans with skills to provide care.

Therefore, Africa should put her available resources – human and natural – to better use in healthcare, and ensure a great difference for the continent.