Ouagadougou: The Burkina Faso delegation, led by the Minister of Health, Dr. Robert Kargougou, took stock of the country's participation in the 75th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the day after the closing of this session, the forty-seven health ministers and heads of delegation met with the Regional Director, Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, to take stock of this major meeting devoted to the state of health in the region.
During the discussions, Minister Kargougou expressed his gratitude to the national authorities and regional stakeholders for their commitment, which made the meeting a success. He particularly praised the regional director's attentiveness and reiterated the importance of the WHO's coordination role, which must be based on better consideration of government priorities in order to guarantee their self-determination.
The Minister also presented the results of Burkina Faso's participation, highlighting the country's active contribution to the thematic debates and the fruitful exchanges with several partners. He recalled the significant financial efforts made by the government, representing 12% of the national health budget, and their convincing results: free screening for precancerous lesions of the cervix, implementation of ultrasound mammograms, and mass awareness campaigns. "In eight months of mobile clinic activity, more than two million women have been made aware of breast self-examination, more than fifteen thousand have benefited from ultrasound mammograms, and more than one hundred thousand women, in urban and rural areas, have been screened for precancerous lesions of the cervix," he said.
Burkina Faso also distinguished itself, representing French- and Portuguese-speaking African countries on the Gavi Board of Directors with participation in the "Gavi Leap" side event, where health and vaccine sovereignty were highlighted.
Among the major decisions of this session, the head of the delegation cited the resolution on strengthening rehabilitation services, aiming to achieve 60% of operational action plans with available budgets in all countries, 60% of health facilities offering rehabilitation services, the resolution on intensifying the fight against malaria to achieve the targets of the global technical strategy. He also recalled the national initiative with the launch of the Laabal brigade, intended to improve sanitation in the living environment to contribute to vector control.
Dr. Kargougou welcomed the progress made in health diplomacy: "Mali was appointed vice-president of the Regional Committee, while Burkina Faso was chosen to sit on the African Public Health Emergency Fund and represent Africa on the Coordination Committee of the Tropical Disease Research Program. Finally, the meeting between the countries of the ESA Confederation and the WHO Regional Director for Africa allowed us to voice our concerns and receive attentive attention," he concluded, expressing his full satisfaction with this session.