This statement was delivered by Dr. Lilian Mbau, our Advocacy Committee member for AFRO, at the Seventy-Fifth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, under agenda item 13 – Strengthening Africa’s Health Security: Enhancing Event Detection, Building Resilient Systems, and Fostering Strategic Partnerships
Honourable Chair,
Distinguished Delegates,
People Living with Noncommunicable Diseases, especially cardiovascular disease, face significant challenges in emergency settings due to overburdened health systems and disrupted services. In our region alone, over 40 million people are currently affected by humanitarian crises.
WHF urges Member States to:
- Prioritize the needs of people living with NCDs in health emergencies and elevate NCDs within the regional health security agenda;
- Integrate essential NCD services into emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plans;
- Strengthen primary healthcare (PHC) and universal health coverage (UHC) to build resilient systems that ensure continuous and equitable NCD care;
- Improve the collection, analysis, and use of interoperable data to support timely decision-making and response; and
- Implement relevant regional strategies and frameworks, aligned with the amended International Health Regulations (IHR) and 2024 Pandemic Agreement.
Thank you.
