Health experts have sounded an alarm over the neglect of communities in the hard-to-reach areas in accessing medical services as well the poor welfare of healthcare workers.
This call buttressed in the wake of rampant strike by medics in the recent months mainly over poor working conditions and failure by the government to honour collective bargaining agreements.
Speaking to the press global health expert, Dr. Ahmed Ogwell said that governments ought to be intentional in prioritizing the health needs of rural communities.
”When there are some challenges in funding for global health, you find the whole sector comes down really fast. Many more doctors, many more healthcare workers out there are the indicators are not improving in the same way.” Ogwell remarked.
He also urged the government to address unprecedented budget cuts and reductions in the official development systems which continue to affect vulnerable communities as far as health care is concerned.
Dr. Ahmed Ogwell was speaking while being unveiled as the new CEO for Village Reach, a global health innovator working to improve access to primary healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.
”Today, there are many institutions that are working in the global health space, in the public health space, but you don’t see as much synergy in their work as we should end. Access to healthcare when you need it and where you need it is still a huge challenge, yet our government keep on reminding us that they don’t have the physical space to be able to do much more.” Ogwell remarked.
He previously served as Vice President for Global Health Strategy at the UN Foundation and Deputy Director-General at Africa CDC.
Dr. Ogwell’s leadership is known for his commitment to improving health outcomes through innovative strategies and collaborative efforts.
His appointment is part of VillageReach’s 2030 strategy, which aims to further expand their impact on global health
VillageReach works with governments, the private sector, partners and communities to build responsive primary health care systems that deliver health products and services to the most under-reached. As a locally driven and globally connected organization working across Africa, VillageReach’s primary goal is to reduce inequities in access to quality primary health care in health systems reaching 350 million people by 2030.