By Monica Kayombo,Zambia, Lusaka,
ZAMBIA is taking its push for Universal Health Coverage ( UHC) , stronger frontline health services and greater local production of medicines to the global stage as the country joins world leaders for the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
Newly appointed Health Minister Professor Roma Chilengi, who arrived in New York ahead of the UNGA81 High-Level Week running from September 22 to 28, said Zambia would use the high-level gathering to advance its health priorities under President Hakainde Hichilema’s Grow Zambia Agenda.
Prof Chilengi who is also immediate past Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) executive director said the General Assembly provides Zambia with an important platform to engage international partners and stakeholders on strengthening the health sector.
The country’s health-sector focus under the broader Grow Zambia Agenda is centred on achieving UHC while strengthening frontline service delivery.
The Minister is expected to use a series of high-level meetings and side events to seek partnerships and mobilise resources to support these priorities.
A major focus will be pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, where Zambia will deliver a national statement and advocate for equitable access to health interventions, sustainable financing and stronger health systems.
The discussions come against the backdrop of lessons from recent global health emergencies, which exposed gaps in health-system capacity, financing and access to essential medical products, particularly in developing countries.
Zambia will also push its interest in greater health sovereignty through a high-level roundtable on African leadership and regional production of frontier AIDS and pandemic medicines.
The meeting will provide an opportunity for Zambia to advance its position on local pharmaceutical production and affordable access to medicines, while promoting stronger African capacity to produce critical health commodities.
Prof Chilengi will also participate in a side event titled “Reimagining Global Public Health Architecture: Regional Approaches for Equity, Preparedness and Shared Security.”
The engagement is expected to reinforce Zambia’s commitment to public health approaches that are inclusive and centred on communities.
Vaccine financing and access will also feature prominently during the Minister’s engagements, with Zambia participating in the Gavi Leap Dialogue on sustainable financing and equitable access to vaccines.
The country will further participate in events marking the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, underscoring Zambia’s human-rights-centred approach to development.
Other high-level discussions will focus on maternal and child survival, school meals, climate-resilient healthcare and primary healthcare, among other health and development priorities.
The engagements give Zambia an opportunity to place its domestic health priorities within wider global discussions on financing, health security, access to medicines and resilient health systems.
For Zambia, the emphasis on local pharmaceutical production and affordable medicines also speaks to the broader question of how African countries can reduce dependence on external sources for essential health commodities and strengthen their capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
Prof Chilengi’s participation comes as Zambia continues to pursue UHC and stronger frontline health services as key components of the Grow Zambia Agenda.
The Minister’s engagements are expected to include discussions with international partners on partnerships and resource mobilisation for the health sector.
The statement announcing the engagements was issued in New York yesterday, by Charles Tembo, First Secretary Press and Public Relations at the Embassy of Zambia in Washington DC.
