By Bai-Bai Sesay reporting from Bamako, Mali.
In order to strengthen and improve the capacity of ministries of health to provide leadership, the Ministerial Leadership Initiative for Global Health known as MLI has set up an initiative involving five countries from different health ministries including Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Senegal, Mali and Nepal in three policy areas. These policies areas include health for equity, donor harmonization in health and reproductive health.
In an exclusive interview, Director of the Ministerial Leadership Initiative, Rosann Wiseman said that MLI is a four years initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
She disclosed that her organization only support selected ministries teams through peer learning opportunities, in country, builds on the wealth of ministerial experience and matched with world class technical expertise.
Given an overview of its organization’s initiative, MLI Director said most of the ministers of health and their ministerial teams are often under resourced and under staffed. In recognition of these challenges, and of the central role of political leadership in creating more equitable health policy outcomes, she went on to say that MLI though it fit to support ministers of health and their senior staff through their initiatives.
She cites Sierra Leone as an example, she said, Sierra Leone is one of the five countries chosen by MLI because of the country’s wonderful application submitted, describing it as good and meaningful to MLI’s goals and objectives.
“The West African state of Sierra Leone is really fortunate to have a health Minister who has a vision and leadership quality for his country. We are ready to work with him towards his initiative to improve the health condition of the country,” she said
The MLI Director said Dr. Soccoh Alex Kabia who is the Sierra Leone minister of health and sanitation has a huge responsibilities and challenges, adding that, she has no doubt that Minister Kabia will live up to expectation to tackle the health problems in Sierra Leone.
“We have full confident in the five countries chosen with the fact that we are building the capacity of these ministries of health to impact policy for more equitable health outcomes“, said Director Wiseman during the 3rd Global Forum on Research for Health held in the Malian capital Bamako.
According to MLI Director, political leadership is the cornerstone of any effort to improve the status of country, regional and global health outcomes. She therefore said this outcome should match by professional and technical expertise and commitment.
“It is at the nexus of technical expertise and political leadership that the Ministerial Leadership Initiative for Global Health will operate, creating the potential for greater equity and effectiveness“, She disclosed.
She said further that her organization hopes that the ministers of health will pioneers their fundamental health policies in their various countries and health ministries.
She cited two countries such as Mexico stating that Hon. Julio Frenk gathered substantial evidence on inequities in the health budget and mounted an aggressive campaign which resulted in a successful country side reform to enable health services to reach the poor.
In Mozambique, he went on, the health ministry successfully partnered with Ireland’s Development Ministry to improve the flow of external donor funding and ensure coordination with Mozambique’s national health strategy
“Let me stated here that Ministerial leadership should improved health financing and donor harmonization and coordination as a result of finding a better way to utilize resources for health and improved access for all“, she advised.
Comments