The recent surge in epidemics affecting public health in Africa highlights the urgent need for countries to strengthen their health systems through coordinated epidemic preparedness and response activities, a senior government official said on Saturday Zambian.
LUSAKA, June 29 (Xinhua) — The recent surge in epidemics affecting public health in Africa highlights the urgent need for countries to strengthen their health systems through coordinated epidemic preparedness and response activities. , a senior Zambian government official said on Saturday.
While acknowledging the progress made in combating epidemics and infectious diseases, Zambian Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo said that new threats continue to emerge and compound the challenges facing health systems. There is therefore a need to build and strengthen them so that they are resilient, equitable and enable communities to thrive, the minister continued.
“We need to engage in regular meetings to advance efforts to strengthen our health systems,” she said at the opening of the third meeting of the Regional Ministerial Steering Committee for Southern Africa, hosted by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in Lusaka, the Zambian capital.
Strengthening health systems is essential for Africa to move towards a future where inclusive, accessible and sustainable health care becomes a reality for all, Ms. Masebo said.
She commended the Africa CDC for supporting countries to help them build resilient health systems by advancing a comprehensive health security agenda aligned with the transformative vision of the new public health order for the continent.
 Zambia calls for strengthening health systems to combat rising epidemics in Africa – Xinhua){kind=link}