As the African Union’s (AU) COVID-19 Champion, President Cyril Ramaphosa has applauded the Serum Institute of India’s (SII) innovative plan to grant an initial US$2 500 000 (R42 179 375) to stimulate investment in an African and global health workforce.
The funds will support the establishment of an AU Health Workforce Task Team (AU-HWTT), which will carry out programmatic work, public engagement, and consensus building towards a fit-for-purpose health workforce that can sustain Universal Health Coverage in Africa, according to the President’s Office.
The seed money from SII has been welcomed by President Ramaphosa.
“I am glad to see that Serum, the manufacturer of medical countermeasures, recognises that the health workforce provides these people-saving instruments.
We appreciate this help in launching the continental health workforce project and encourage other companies, funders, and investors to follow Serum’s lead.
In order to carry out this purpose, the AU COVID-19 Commission collaborates with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), SII, and Seed Global Health as well as President Ramaphosa in his capacity as COVID-19 Champion.
In order to reinforce the continental institutions set up as part of the AU’s continental response to COVID-19, President Ramaphosa established the COVID-19 Commission in 2021.
The African Medical Supplies Platform, the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), and other organisations founded during South Africa’s term as AU Chair in 2020 are included in this.
“President Ramaphosa aspires to bring political, health, and economic leaders into alignment with a long-term transformational strategy to train and retain a full health workforce in Africa through a compact among member states.
He has been given the authority to prioritise the issue of the health workforce and to keep it in the political spotlight.
The new AU-HWTT programme seeks to create a thorough framework for the development of a complete African healthcare workforce in the interest of economic recovery and global health security.
A key component of the AU’s New Public Health Order toward universal health coverage, pandemic preparedness, and health security is health workforce development.
The social and financial returns on investment for each dollar invested on training have been demonstrated through data.
“The health workforce represents a pathway for job creation, economic recovery, and social inclusion for nations or continents where the youth population make up over 50% of the population.”
The initiative’s execution will be supervised by the AU COVID-19 Commission in collaboration with Seed Global Health.
It is expected that SII’s initial gift will serve as a catalyst and a “global rallying cry” for other investors, charities, and governments to step forward and help create the infrastructure required to recover from COVID-19.
According to SII CEO Adar Poonawalla, “We have a long history of supporting healthcare in Africa, including billions of affordable routine immunizations against illnesses like measles and polio, and the development of novel vaccines to guard against meningitis and malaria.”
However, the epidemic has shown us the importance of both life-saving medical personnel and the life-saving drugs themselves.
He thinks the AU-HWTT will be the beginning of the development of the future African healthcare workforce.
Poonawalla has urged organisations, businesses, and governments to support and enable the specialists at the AU and Seed Global Health to bring about this long-lasting systemic transformation.
This will not only ensure that more Africans receive vaccinations, putting a stop to the COVID-19 acute phase, but it will also help the continent stay ready for future health risks.
The oral medication Paxlovid, which is currently available for purchase by the AU Member States at cost, has also been introduced to Africa, according to President Ramaphosa.
Paxlovid is less expensive than other oral therapies, has fewer side effects, is simple to give, and is effective against the Omicron type. It also decreases hospitalisation and death by 89 percent.
Increased vaccination rates along with this will greatly lessen the strain on Africa’s health systems, which are already being rebuilt to restore ordinary services and prepare for upcoming pandemics.