By Professor Firmino G. Mucavele

1. MULTISECTORAL COLLABORATION IN THE PROCESS OF REVITALIZING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE AND HEALTH SYSTEMS IN AFRICA By Professor Firmino G. Mucavele NEPAD Steering Committee Member and former CEO of the NEPAD Secretariat

2. CONTENT • 1. Management of multisectoral collaboration to fast track MDGs attainment • 2. Mechanisms that could be employed to strengthen collaboration among partners • 3. Mainstreaming PHC in other sectors to enhance synergism and concurrent achievement of MDGs

3. MANAGEMENT OF MULTISECTORAL COLLABORATION • 1. Countries in Africa face serious challenges in mobilizing, allocating and managing financial resources in the face of increasing disease burdens. The health service management systems in most countries are weak. • 2. Health systems at the district or local level are under-resourced and inefficiently managed.

4. MANAGEMENT OF MULTISECTORAL COLLABORATION • 3. In Districts …Health facilities are headed by unqualified staff who experience limited capacity to plan, to organize health activities, to provide efficient orientation to the health systems, monitoring or supervising health institutions and to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of operations and strategies applied.

5. MANAGEMENT OF MULTISECTORAL COLLABORATION • 4. African countries should institutionalize the preparation of National Health Accounts as a tool to determine financial flows to the health sector. • 5. Multisectoral evaluation of alternative ways of financing and allocating resources must include PHC and health systems. • 6. The development of efficient and effective ways of providing health services must be part of the National Development Plan.

6. Mechanisms to strengthen collaboration • 1. The National Health Systems must be the mechanisms to be used for effective collaboration with partners. • 2. The focus must be on the integrated system in the country, which must be strengthened, harmonized and synchronized with sub-regions and all over Africa through NEPAD and African Union Platform.

7. Mechanisms to strengthen collaboration • 3. The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) should be used as coordinators, harmonizers and synchronizers of PHC and Health Systems. • 4. WHO/AFRO/EMRO in collaboration with NEPAD and African Union should work with UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, FAO and UNECA for mainstreaming of the PHC into all sectors of development.

8. Mechanisms to strengthen collaboration • 5. NEPAD is essentially a catalyzing, coordinating, mobilizing, unblocking and energizing agent. • 6. NEPAD’s added value is derived from the fact that it brings together dedicated political champions for implementation, development partners and leading African Scientists.

9. Mainstreaming PHC in other sectors to enhance synergism & concurrent achievement of MDGs • 1. All sectors of development must include specific contributions to the improvement of health, especially sectors of education, food, agriculture and natural resources including water and sanitation. • 2. The public services, private sector, NGOs, CBOs and other players need to work in a coordinated fashion towards achieving the country’s health objectives

10. Mainstreaming PHC in other sectors to enhance synergism & concurrent achievement of MDGs • 3. All country’s strategies need to adopt a comprehensive approach to the range of factors influencing human resource availability and performance and prioritize their implementation. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION