Africa Health 2021: resilience and sustainability key to strengthening health systems in Africa

By Cristiano Antonino Last updated Nov 24, 2021

Africa Health 2021: last month saw the continent’s healthcare industry leaders and influencers gather virtually at the 10th Annual Africa Health Congress – the largest conference of its kind in Africa

With discussions spanning the full array of issues facing health sectors in the region – governance, medical technology, public health and many more – the congress provided a platform for the sharing of knowledge, with a view towards escalating the imperatives of Universal Health Care (UHC) on the continent.

Africa Health 2021, the events of this edition

Close to 4000 professionals attend key discussions, presentations and interviews, in which industry leaders shared strategies to shape the future of medicine and analysed the latest innovations and disruptors driving digital transformation in the region’s healthcare sector.

“We are delighted to see the number of new partnerships that have been forged and believe these new connections and collaborations will give rise to initiatives that will strengthen the resilience of health systems and promote growth in Africa,” says Cynthia Makarutse-NyandoroSenior Conference Producer.

Event highlights included the 9th Quality Management & Patient Safety Conference, which was chaired by Jacqui Stewart, CEO of The Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa, in which healthcare industry leaders discussed COVID resiliency, as well as strategies and interventions to bridge the quality improvement gap at the frontline in Africa.

The specialist speakers also reviewed recent updates in healthcare quality & safetystandards and accreditations, and shared insights around new regulations.

FAIRS DEDICATED TO RESCUE AND EMERGENCY? VISIT EMERGENCY EXPO

Health reforms on the continent, focus at Africa Health 2021

At the Sustainability in Healthcare Conference track, experts delved into the appropriate healthcare system reforms for the African context, as well as the challenges and solutions to achieving healthcare equality throughout the region.

Dr Nicholas Crisp, Acting Director General of South Africa’s National Department of Health, believes that the COVID pandemic is driving policy changes that will enable technical innovations that go beyond information and communication technologies (ICT) and will span a range of technologies and ultimately strengthen the health system.

He remarked on the importance of good planning and governance in the public health sector for a resilient health system, and the need for high-impact, economically viable projects.

“Technology may provide answers”, he said, “but we first need connectivity, as well as flexible care rules, and an enabling policy and regulatory framework.”

Crisp also touched on the continent’s rapid pace of urbanisation, and how it has affected public healthcare challenges.

Of resource challenges and health care worker shortfalls, he said: “In countries like South Africa the primary challenge is about shifting and sharing resources, because there is significant inequality which currently panders largely to a privileged minority. More is not always better.

The challenge is to use what is available more efficiently.”