Addis Ababa — Ethiopia has one of the most robust community health programs that has evolved over many years, Health State Minister Dr. Dereje Duguma said at a two-day Validation Workshop on the Lusaka Agenda Monitoring and Accountability Framework that opened in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.
Opening the workshop, Dr. Dereje stressed that the Lusaka Agenda has to be a country-led experience.
Regarding Ethiopia's experiences and achievements in primary healthcare over the years, he said Ethiopia has one of the most robust community health programs.
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"Our primary healthcare system has evolved over the last many years. We have decentralized services at community level to the lowest available community structure."
For the state minister, the success that Ethiopia has achieved, for example, in terms of decreasing maternal mortality is attributable to the robust primary healthcare systems.
The "one plan, one budget and one report" principle has enabled Ethiopia to harmonize and align its partners' investments, and to have a common plan, common reporting mechanism, and also common financial platform, he elaborated.
The State Minister affirmed that Ethiopia will continue to be the champion of the Lusaka Agenda, emphasizing the significance of the collaboration of partners to make a sustainable and lasting solution on the ground, especially in terms of financing the health system in the continent.
The government has to be at the driving seat, and partners have to align with the strategies, priorities and policies of the government, he noted.
Similarly, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Deputy Director General, Dr. Raji Tajudeen, emphasized the need for ensuring a very strong, pandemic ready and climate resilient primary healthcare system.
According to the Deputy Director-General, strategic and coherent global health initiatives are also essential to align with national priorities.
He further pointed out the need for strengthening collaboration, especially in health financing, as domestic resource mobilization is critical.
"Following the declaration or the decision of our heads of state and government, we have now established the Lusaka Agenda Secretariat here at the Africa CDC headquarters," Dr. Tajudeen said.
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The Lusaka Agenda is a global health initiative launched in December 2023, aiming to reform global health financing and architecture by aligning donor support with national health plans, increasing domestic funding, and strengthening primary care for Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
According to the continental autonomous health agency of the African Union, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Ethiopia is among the African countries already moving ahead with the implementation of the Lusaka Agenda based on their country context.
The other countries are Central African Republic, DRC, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, and South Sudan.
