Africa needs resilient health systems as donor funding tightens

African health systems are facing major changes. For years, external funding helped improve disease prevention and treatment. Now, global economic pressures are making this support less reliable.

Professor Lukoye Atwoli, a medical college dean in East Africa, said Africa needs stronger health systems. These systems must be able to handle shocks like epidemics or economic problems. They need to keep providing care even during difficult times.

Governments across Africa have many money problems. Populations are growing fast, and more people need healthcare. Current ways of dealing with health crises are not working well.

Many African health systems rely too much on money from outside. This money can change without notice. There are also not enough healthcare workers, especially in rural areas.

Getting medicines and equipment also faces issues. Procurement is often difficult, and local manufacturing is limited. These problems mean supplies run low during crises.

Professor Atwoli said health services are not well connected. Different programs work alone. This makes it hard to use money and staff well, especially during emergencies.

The upcoming World Health Summit Regional Meeting will discuss these issues. It gives African leaders a chance to plan their own health policies. The goal is to build strong, fair health systems that can handle future problems.