WHO Convenes Summit on Self-Care for African Health Rights
The event represents a critical step toward achieving universal health coverage and improving reproductive health rights across the African continent.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia— The World Health Organization opened a landmark summit Wednesday addressing self-care interventions for sexual and reproductive health across Africa, targeting improved healthcare access for underserved populations, writes Winston Mwale.
Held from November 27-29, the summit brings together policymakers, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and health experts to advance self-care strategies in the WHO African region.
Self-care interventions, including pregnancy self-testing and contraceptive self-administration, aim to increase individual health autonomy within supportive healthcare systems.
"Self-care is an increasingly powerful tool to tackle difficulties in obtaining affordable and quality healthcare," said Dr. Owen L. Kaluwa, WHO representative in Ethiopia.
The African region faces significant healthcare challenges, including high maternal mortality and limited reproductive health services.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of self-care when traditional healthcare access was restricted.
Ethiopian Health Minister Dr. Mekdes Daba highlighted her country's progress, noting pilot self-care implementations in four regions and developing national self-care guidelines.
Dr. Pascale Allotey from WHO's Reproductive Health Research program emphasized the summit's significance.
"Self-care is a transformative approach to overcoming barriers that limit access to care," she said.
The summit will address embedding self-care in national health policies, developing implementation strategies, and ensuring equitable service access.
Discussions will focus on creating a global roadmap for self-care interventions, with potential recommendations to be presented at the 2025 WHO Executive Board meeting.
The event represents a critical step toward achieving universal health coverage and improving reproductive health rights across the African continent.