Academic institutions, healthcare providers and policy makers have called for closer collaboration with the government towards access to health databases to improve and strengthen healthcare systems in East Africa to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The call was made during the health symposium organized by Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa and the Association of Academic Health Centers International (AAHCI) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In his welcoming remarks, Prof Mohammad Kambi, Chief Medical Officer of Tanzania, offered academic institutions access to health databases to increase collaboration and partnership between respective governments and higher learning institutions for a more evidence-based approach towards research and learning.
“It’s vital to expand the existing relationships between the Ministries of Health and the academic institutions towards evidence based plans and programmes of health related initiatives in the East African region,” said Prof Kambi.
The symposium, under the theme, “Driving the Health Agenda for a Sustainable Future in Low and Middle-income Countries,” brought together education, research and health care leaders across East Africa region to provide a clear understanding of the nature of academic health systems and their importance in advancing and accelerating healthcare.
Prof Robert Armstrong, Dean, Medical College for East Africa, Aga Khan University, challenged universities working in tertiary care facilities within which they train, to take a central place in providing necessary leadership in facing the challenge of reversing the vicious cycle of adversity and ill-health.
“While commendable progress was witnessed under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals period, a lot remains to be done for the achievement of the SDGs,” said Prof Armstrong, “health care providers in low and middle income countries are expected to provide necessary data and affordable solutions to address existing challenges through research and capacity building.”
The symposium also addressed possible solutions by providing strategic avenues for development of critical discourse in the current global health agenda and ways in which the systems in East Africa could utilize these models to accelerate health system improvement.
“The symposium focused on identifying existing national health systems models in East Africa, highlighted successful models internationally and explored strategies for improving the collaborative environment within the East African community,” said Prof William Macharia, Associate Dean of Research, Aga Khan University.
Dr Hussein Kidanto, AKU’s Associate Dean applauded the Tanzanian government for deploying strategies to ensure that the country achieves its Health Policy (2011-2022) goals in the areas of primary healthcare, Non-Communicable Diseases, women and child health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases.