Thoboloko Ntšonyane
MASERU – Lesotho will be a fanfare of health activities next week with hosting the 71st Health Ministers Conference and the 13th Best Practices Forum and the Directors Joint Consultative Meeting.
These developments were revealed by the Ministry of Health.
The activities will be under the auspices of the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC).
For this year, the conference will run under the theme, ‘Stronger Health Systems Post COVID-19 for the Attainment of Universal Health Coverage in ECSA Region’.
The Ministers Conference will be preceded by ‘The Best Practice Forum’ that is slated for February 5-6, followed by the Directors Joint Consultative Committee which will be on the 7th while the Ministers Conference will run from 8th to 9th.
According to ECSA-HC, ‘The Best Practice Forum’ (BPF) and the Directors Joint Consultative Meeting will attract participation of the Minsters of Health, Permanent or Principal Secretaries, Ministries of Health’s senior officials, experts, researchers, heads of the health training institutions, and diverse collaborating partners in the region and beyond.
“The BPF and DJCC Conference mainly focuses on sharing best practices and research evidence, identity relevant health policy issues and making recommendations to the Health Ministers Conference , towards the improvement of health programming and outcomes in the region,” reads the statement published by ECSA-HC.
Meanwhile, the conference comes back after 40 years since Lesotho last hosted ECSA-HC Ministers’ Conference.
ECSA-HC joins efforts with countries and other stakeholders to enhance the standards of health for the people living with the ECSA region through the promotion of efficiency and effectiveness of health services through collaborative efforts, research and cooperation.
ECSA has presence in countries such as Tanzania (its headquarters), Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda.