In September 2000, 189 heads of state adopted the Millennium Declaration.
Here was an agreement designed to improve social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries Malawi inclusive by 2015.
For purposes of tracking progress, a check-list outlining eight goals responding to the Millennium Declaration was devised.
Months later, April, 2001 this became an African issue as the African Union membership met for a review in Abuja Nigeria at at a conference pledging to set a target of allocating at least 15 percent of their annual budget towards the improvement of the health sector.
However, 21 years down the line the situation remains the same … with the allocation towards the health sector remaining less than 15 percent raising questions from stakeholders.
As observes health rights commentator George Jobe, all this is for government’s lack of commitment.
Another health rights campaigner Maziko Matemba echoes this observation … saying something needs doing on this.
This seems a-very shared observation among the health rights lobby space.
For Mphatso Ngulube-Chikhwaza , all the talk about the Millennium Declaration and support towards the health sector are a mere lip service by those in power.
In her world most people in authority are only good at rhetoric and promises and bad with action … the health sector keeps struggling to meet its needs and serve the country.
So; why is that so?
Chairperson of the parliamentary committee on health – Mathews Ngwale provides his insights … he feels the money might have already reached the 15 percent target … but might be lacking accountability.
On the other hand … the budget and finance committee of parliament says it’s processing a financing-mechanism for the health sector for this 15 percent target in the words of Gladys Ganda – chairperson of this committee.
But for a country whose 70 percent budget depends on donor support … are there any interventions put in place? In the event of donors deciding to pull out their assistance?
Jobe thinks it’s time as a country we started thinking of ways of funding ourselves to avoid embarrassing ourselves in the event donors pull out their budgetary support.
In a country of lessons, the rapid response to Covid-19 financing provides a model to borrow a leaf from according to Matemba.
However, Chikhaza feels it would be a nonstarter to be too much dependent on donors for resource financing … rather; maybe time to start to endorse hospital fee in public hospitals.
And Ganda agrees…She says its time the nation reflected on the proposed introduction of service-fee in public hospitals with the exceptions of the ultra-poor.
Nonetheless; through his observation … Ngwale feels the country is making improvements in drifting away from donor dependence.
Clearly, there seems to be a lot the country need doing to ensure there’re proper funding mechanisms to the sector.
After-all don’t they say that health is wealth.