As African leaders gather in Nigeria come May 2006, to identify new strategies to fight the continent’s heavy disease burden, stakeholders have called for universal access to prevention, care and treatment of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (ATM).
In a press conference addressed by the African Committee on ATM on Tuesday at Internews Networks Nigeria, the A.U. insists that there will no longer be declarations, but a new call to accelerated action against AIDS, TB and malaria.
Chairman of the AU conference on ATM, tagged Abuja plus, Dr. Nasir Sani – Gwazo told journalists during the parley that issues to be discussed include the progress report on the Abuja 2001 and 2005 declarations, best practices on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in Africa.
Other issues the conference will focus on are the institutional factors in Africa, social cultural determinants and impact, health financing in Africa, all with a view to scaling up activities towards universal access to HIV, which should be extended to TB and malaria.
According to Sani – Gwazo, some of the emerging key issues of the African disease burden is the need for an urgent and extraordinary action on the part of African leaders to effectively tackle the diseases and extension of framework of scaling up towards universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 2010. Gwauazo explained that the AU Summit Committee has prepared six documents which will guide the delegates drawn from all the 53 African countries for discussion.
“The documents have not been prepared for delegates to just come and sign, but for them to use as a guide. At the end of the day, they could be adopted, torn apart or completely thrown away in the course of deliberations at the summit�, the chairman stated.
Critical issues to be discussed at the summit include health financier in Africa, sustainability and predictability of funding, institutional challenges to health systems, human resources challenges, institutionalization of development and initiatives, countrywide strategies and initiatives and national ? ? ?
Robert Makombe, charged the African media to be really very critical of government policies as they affect ATM, monitor and report to the society what governments policies on health issues are and if the African leaders are keeping their promises as they relate to ATM and other health matters.
“The press must be really critical of the state of government policies and actions. Everybody living in this continent should have access to prevention, care and treatment for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria�, Makombe insisted.
The Resident Advisor of Internews Networks Nigeria, Josephine Kamara, said her establishments is committed to training journalists in Nigeria to report accurately on health issues, particularly on HIV/AIDS, child survival, tuberculosis and malaria as well as other health related issues like population among others.
Source : Daily Independent (Nigeria)