Averting a Dual Disaster in Africa: Protecting Essential Health Services During COVID-19
June 3, 2020
In Africa, like the rest of the world, the impact of COVID-19 is significant. But the attention on COVID-19 may be masking a greater catastrophe: reduced access to—and quality of—essential health services.
According to the World Health Organization, “When health systems are overwhelmed, both direct mortality from an outbreak and indirect mortality from vaccine-preventable and treatable conditions increase dramatically.” Certain African countries have faced these issues before. What can we learn from the lessons of previous epidemics on the continent, and what are African countries doing now to counter dual shocks?
In this webinar, health experts from Africa discussed the effects of COVID-19 on the delivery of routine health care in their countries, and how knowledge gained from previous outbreaks may help.
Moderator:
Midori de Habich - Technical Director, USAID Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS), Abt Associates
Speakers:
Dr. Ambrose Talisuna – Regional Advisor, International Health Regulations & Global Health Security; Program Manager, Emergency Preparedness, World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO)
Dr. Richard Lessells - Infectious Diseases Specialist and Epidemiologist, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Dr. Pierre Barker - Chief Global Programs and Partnerships Officer, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
Ali Ouenzar - Deputy Chief of Party – USAID Government Support, Abt Associates, Efficiencies for Clinical HIV Outcomes (ECHO) project, Mozambique