Mauritius and Philippines join UN Health4Life Fund at WHA77

28 May 2024

Departmental news

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Representatives from Mauritius and the Philippines announced their commitment to join the UN Health4Life Trust Fund as strategic partners. Their participation will enhance efforts to prevent and control NCDs and improve mental health outcomes globally. Mauritius has recently been entrusted with hosting the new pooled drug procurement secretariat for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that will enhance access to affordable, quality-assured, and safe medicines and medical supplies. Dr Kailesh Jagutpal, Minister of Health and Wellness from Mauritius announced the country’s ambition to further promote collective action by taking a lead role in the Health4Life Fund governance body as a strategic partner. “The government has … given its willingness to be participating in this Fund and we look forward to working together.”, said Minister Jagutpal in his remarks.

A similar announcement was warmly welcomed by the audience from the Government of the Philippines. “I am delighted to announce that the government of the Philippines is joining the Health for Life Fund as a strategic partner. We will take an active role in its governance to help shape the direction of the fund and to advocate for resources to ensure Health for Life delivers for countries,” said Dr. Emmie Liza Perez-Chiong, Undersecretary of Health, Philippines. “To demonstrate our commitment and the need for all countries to play their part in raising resources, I am also pleased to announce that the Philippines will be contributing financially to the Health for Life Fund. I encourage others to do the same.”

Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha Wafula of Kenya opened her remarks with a challenge to the audience. ‘Is there a case for scaling up funding for NCDs and mental health?,” she asked. “For Kenya, there's more than a case”. 41% of all deaths in Kenya are now associated with NCDs making it an imperative to address this growing burden. Speaking about the Kenyan advances in implementing Universal Health Coverage and its approach in mobilizing community health promoters, the Cabinet Secretary highlighted that “solutions must be tailor-made, specific, to be able to address country problems.”

Minister of Health, Karina Rando of Uruguay emphasized the importance her country has placed on Universal Health Coverage. “Our health systems provide accessible and universal coverage to the entire population of the country,” she noted. Among many notable advances, she explained that Uruguay is making steady progress toward the WHO 90-70-90 targets for cervical cancer elimination. “In 2023, (Uruguay) expanded HPV vaccination to men and women between the age of 11 and 26 inclusive. That vaccination is free for all the nation. Cervical cancer screening was also updated last year with the incorporation of HPV test as a method of choice, making our country a pioneer… in the region. We are very close to treat 90% of our patients with precancerous lesions and invasive cervical cancer.”

Another area of significance that the various speakers, including Minister Rando, highlighted was the importance of the integration of mental health.

Minister Sabin Nsanzimana of Rwanda recalled that this year marks 30 years since the Rwandan genocide which has left lasting scars, including in the country’s mental health burden. He noted that this tragic history still “affects those who were there and even those who were born after the genocide”. Through the Health4Life Fund, Rwanda intends to use schools as the “best way (to reach) children even (for) mental health programs,” he remarked.

Permanent Secretary Kennedy Lishimpi of Zambia explained how his government has been increasing its health budget in the last years and apportions funds to NCDs given the expanding burden. He noted that by taking a strategic and streamlined approach to early detection, “ultimately the cost of managing high blood pressure in a country comes down because you avoid the complications. We are confident that… the application that we have done for the catalytic funding from the Health4Life partnership will help us to actually achieve the initial thrust that we are looking at” to scale up the country’s NCD response.

“We are looking at ourselves as drivers of change. We would want to support and work with the governments to create this awareness at the grassroot level, at the household level... to eliminate cervical cancer,” said Mary Muia, the President-Elect of Soroptimist International Africa Federation. Mary also demonstrated some of the work that the organization is doing by developing a digital health tool to raise awareness among pre-teen girls and women on the need for HPV vaccination and regular screening for cervical cancer.

Learning from each other and the value of partnership was also emphasized throughout the session. “NCDs are a global challenge demanding global solutions. The Health for Life Fund is distinctly valuable because it embraces a truly collaborative approach. The very structure of this fund, with our emphasis on leadership from the Global South, represents a vital shift in tackling NCDs. The Global South isn't just at the table, they're leading the response, bringing fresh perspectives and innovation to the global conversation. It's about empowering those closest to the challenges to chart the course and shape the global conversation on NCDs. Scotland has much to share, but we've also got much to learn,” explained Professor Sir Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer of Scotland.