THE Wellbeing Foundation Africa, an NGO founded by Mrs Toyin Saraki, says achieving universal health coverage will require stakeholders to drive change for gender equity and strengthening healthcare workers.

Saraki made the assertion in a press statement on Monday ahead of the 72nd World Health Assembly which would  hold  in Geneva, Switzerland between May 20 and May 28.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The assembly determines the policies of the WHO, supervising financial policies, as well as reviews and approves its programmes’ budgets.

The WHO had defined universal health coverage as:   “ensuring that all people have access to needed health services (including prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation) of sufficient quality.

“It added that it should be effective while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user the financial hardship.”

Saraki said: “It is auspicious that my first engagement at the World Health Assembly this year is to celebrate ‘heroines of health’ alongside Women in Global Health, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic Foundation.

“Women make up 70 per cent of the global health workforce but are underrepresented in positions of leadership.

“If we are to achieve universal health coverage and leave no one behind by 2030, we must drive change for gender equity and strengthen healthcare workers.”

She said that women and newborns were the most vulnerable in humanitarian and fragile settings.

According to her, quality midwifery education saves lives by preparing healthcare workers for emergency health situations.

“Investing in the health and social workforce is critical to the attainment of the health aspect of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Also, I look forward to working with the WHO, global partners and frontline healthcare workers to make that a reality,” Saraki said.

NAN also reports that Saraki would speak at high-level events throughout the week, alongside the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus and the First Lady of the Republic of Turkey, Mrs Emine Erdogan.

They would be focusing on aligning women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and wellbeing in humanitarian and fragile settings and frontline healthcare workers. (NAN)

– May 20, 2019 @ 14:25 GMT |