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Toyin Saraki addresses Africa Health Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, on ‘social accountability’


Mrs Toyin Ojora Saraki today addressed the Africa Health Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of a panel organised by PATH in collaboration with AMREF Health Africa.

Mrs Saraki joined Dr. Sarah Opendi, Uganda Minister for Health, Professor Joachim Osur, Director, Regional Programs and Field Offices, AMREF, and Angela Nguku of White Ribbon Alliance, Kenya, in a high-level session focused on ‘Social Accountability to Advance Universal Health Coverage.’

Having been named by Devex as a ‘Global Health for All Champion’ in 2018, Mrs Saraki – who is the Founder-President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa – outlined her vision of universal health coverage, stating:

“One of the key downfalls of outdated, top to bottom, external agency models of health – often coming from a ‘traditional aid’ perspective – is that citizens are viewed as passive beneficiaries. That modus operandi will not help us to achieve universal health coverage. The active participation of the communities that health systems are designed to serve is an absolute necessity, including in design and modification.”

“Trust is the currency of advocacy - but it will be eroded if the service delivery that citizens have been told they need and deserve is not available"

“A well-designed civil registration & vital statistics system is essential. Only with the collection and dissemination of accurate data can we ensure effective delivery, evaluation and monitoring of sustainable, effective public health strategies."

“The Wellbeing Foundation Africa has as its founding centrifuge a core civil registration and vital statistics tool, the Personal Health Record, which empowers women to be the key agent in social accountability and community audit in ensuring health for all.”

“We must match the intelligence and knowledge of communities with global innovation. Too often national or global policy decisions simply do make it effectively to the frontline"

“We are all the duty bearers and decision makers. We have to remove silos when it comes to community accountability.”

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa is the proud Nigerian partner to AMREF on the ground-breaking report ‘Cancer Ecosystem Assessment in West Africa: Health Systems Gaps to Prevent and Control Cancers in three countries: Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.

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