African countries to discuss health care reform

Health experts from 19 African countries will meet in Maputo next week to discuss health sector reform under the auspices of the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO). In a statement received by IRIN on Thursday, WHO said the economic downturn on the continent in recent years had left many countries "almost in total disarray". "The social sectors, particularly health and education, were hard hit by the consequences of economic decline and the way economic reform programmes were applied. Not only did they slow down the pace of health development in most countries, they also weakened the health system to near collapse," the statement said. According to WHO, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and reproductive health are among the areas that need priority attention. The three-day meeting on health sector reform is part of the UN Special Initiative for Africa (UNSIA) which was launched in March 1995. UNISA aims at strengthening individual country strategies as the main basis for donor assistance. On health care the initiative stresses, "access and use of a basic package of health care services by all the people."