Date: 2017-09-24 14:12:46 ID: 1714
Cotonou, 23 September 2017 – The Director General of the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO), Dr Xavier CRESPIN undertook a working visit to Benin from 21 to 23 September 2017.
The principal objective was to meet the national authorities to discuss the establishment of the National Coordination Institution (NCI) to improve disease control and surveillance and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Dr Crespin, leading the WAHO delegation, comprising the Director of the Department of Disease and Epidemic Control (DDEC), Dr Carlos Brito, the Executive Assistant to the DG, Dr Idrissa Maiga, was given audience by the Minister of health of Benin, Mr Seidou ALASSANE.
The DG/WAHO presented the situation that led to the decision of the Heads of State to create the Regional Centre for Disease Control and Surveillance (RCDCS) and the network of National Coordination Institutions in each ECOWAS member States.
“Following the evaluation done in Benin recently by WAHO and the ONG CORDS, the Director General of WAHO came to share with the Minister of health major recommendations and to request for their progressive implementation” indicated Dr Crespin to the Minister. These recommendations, as Dr Crespin pointed out, focus particularly on the confirmation of CNLS/TP as an NCI, in place of the National Directorate for Public Health as initially envisaged. This will therefore involve a revision by a multi-sector review committee of the decree establishing the CNLS, with a view to ensuring its compliance with community regulations.
The discussion is also focused on the actual adoption of the “ONE HEALTH” approach; the linkage between the NCI and the regional centre (RCDCS) based in Abuja; the development of a plan to train Task Forces through simulations; capacity building of staff in the area of research, laboratory work, surveillance and health information management, etc.; strengthening communication, particularly at the community level; and finally the proposal of a plan to build the coordination capacity of the NCIs.
With regard to Universal Health Coverage, (UHC), the DG and the WAHO delegation discussed with the Speaker of parliament of Benin, His Lordship Adrien HOUNGBEDJI, in the presence of the Minister of health, the impending regional meeting of ECOWAS parliamentarians on UHC with a view to mobilising further financial resources for health and improving health delivery. The meeting will enable an evaluation of existing mechanisms and identify the weaknesses; ensure the sustainable financing of policies for social protection; better coordinate and consolidate synergy in interventions on health coverage for the population; better and further empower the various stakeholders contributing to UHC; and finally reduce inequalities with regard to access to basic social services.
The Speaker of parliament of Benin, committed himself to mobilising the necessary resources towards the success of the meeting of parliamentarians of the 15 ECOWAS member States scheduled for the first quarter of 2018 and WAHO would make it’s logistical and technical contribution.
The DG of WAHO took the opportunity of his stay in Cotonou to meet the Ambassador of The Netherlands to Benin, Mr Van Dijk and the First Secretary and Adviser on Health at the Embassy, Mr Marius W. de Jong. With the two personalities, the DG of WAHO discussed the new project titled “Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health in the ECOWAS region”. This meeting took place in the presence of the Executive Assistant to the DG and the WAHO Focal Point in Benin. Last September 12, the First Secretary and Adviser on Health at the Embassy, Mr Marius W. de Jong was in Bobo-Dioulasso at WAHO headquarters to actually discuss collaboration with WAHO in the area of RH/FP and adolescent and youth health.
This regional project, costing a total of 6 million Euros over a two-year period (2018-2019), aims at contributing to the improvement of sexual and reproductive health of adolescence and youth in ECOWAS countries, and more specifically (1) strengthening policy advocacy for integrating the rights of women to family planning into policies, programmes and strategies in ECOWAS countries; (2) improve the legal and institutional framework for adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health; (3) strengthen the availability of contraceptive commodities in the ECOWAS region; (4) improve access by adolescents and youth to quality sexual and reproductive health services that are appropriate to their needs; (5) provide support to countries for the implementation of interventions to improve adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health; (6) provide technical and financial support to youth associations and civil society organisations in the area of RH/FP/HIV in target countries; (7) organise regional and cross-border events on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health; and (8) build WAHO’s institutional capacity.
This project will complete the interventions already implemented in ECOWAS member States within the framework of the regional programme on reproductive health funded by KFW (RPRH) and the Demography and Health project (DEMSAN) funded by the French Development Agency (AFD).