Transcript Community Working Group on Health

Community Working Group on
Health
Caroline A Mubaira
[email protected]
Zimbabwe
Community Working Group on
Health
Following a six week strike by health
professionals; a group of
organisations identified that
community participation was a top
down phenomenon, inadequately
driven by an uninformed and
public, with inadequate
mechanisms for community
participation in health, yet decline
in quality of health services.
Community Working Group on
Health
Thus CWGH began a programme of
work to disseminate information
and organize civic members on
health in 1998.
Community Working Group on
Health
CWGH is a network of 35 organisations
that strives to be a leader in the
achievement of equity and accessibility
in health and wellness for communities
through an empowered membership
through community participation in
Health.
CWGH MOTTO
Health is your Right
and Responsibility
All for Health
Programmes
 Civic education programme
 Gender, HIV and Aids Programme
 Adolescent Reproductive Health
Education Programme
Civic education programme
 Aims at exchanging and sharing information
on current developments within health
systems
 Focuses on the most common health
problems experienced by rural and urban
people in Zimbabwe
 Makes input of community perspectives,
positions and experiences to statutory health
structures at national level, including
commissions of inquiry and health boards
Civic Education on Health
 Advocacy – lobbying the parliamentary
health portfolio committee and other
relevant equality with position papers
based on good practices and
mobilization of district health
committees
 Raise concerns, issues and positions
with health care providers at local and
central level
Community Working Group on
Health
 CWGH has a vision that seeks to
transform the health delivery system of
Zimbabwe
 Our approach is to change the mindset
of people regarding health by
stimulating communities to get into self
drive and be able to recognize health
challenges and act on them
How CWGH Organises
People for Health
 Organizing People’s power for
Health
 Championing Peoples’ Power
for Health
 Strengthening people’s Power
for Health
 Consolidating People’s Power
for Health
Community Working Group on
Health
Chikwaka Health Centre
Committe
Bindura Nyava Health Centre
Committe
Gweru CWGH
How CWGH Organises for
Health
Lobby government to align its
budgetary allocations in line with
commitments made in different
agreements e.g. Abuja Declaration
(2001)

Write position papers to policy
makers startng from grassroot level

Cont……
 CWGH members in district carry out
research on Health Basket…..
 Compile cost of health
 Engage MP’s and health authorities
 Pre-Budget meetings
 Organize the People to take up there
own activities
Organising For Health
 Allocation to include parameters such as
disease burden, population density etc
not per province
 Analyse other policies that can be
bottleneck to health services or where
health services can be improved and
make necessary recommendations, e.g.
Health Services Board
Challenges
 Political Interference
 Declining economy changing mindset of
people
 Priorities of ARMY vs Health
PHC was incorporated into health policy
and development plans… but……
 Rapid urbanisation
 Emergence and re-emergence of
communicable and non-communicable
diseases
 Especially HIV
 Low investments
 Increased disparities in access to basic
social services
 Conflicts
 Adverse external conditions
 Poor governance
 Declining national economic
performance
 High debt burden
 Deteriorating terms of trade
 Food Shortages
 Increased levels of malnutrition
 Literacy
Zimbabwe had a good educational
policy, but now there are problems
 POVERTY
 50% living on <$1/day
 increased in the last five years
COMPULSORY LICENSING
Declaration of Period of Emergency HIV/AIDS
Notice 2002
Declaration of period of emergency to enable
the state or person authorised by the
Minister;
a) To make or use any patented drug, including
any retroviral drugs, used in the treatment of
persons suffering from HIV?AIDS or HIV
related conditions;
b) To import any generic drug used in the
treatment of persons suffering from
HIV/AIDS or HIV/AIDS related conditions
Therefore……..
 3 Zimbabwean companies have been
granted licences to manufacture or
import generic alternative ARVs
 ARVsmore available in the public and
private sector
 Drug price has also become
significantly cheaper than other
imported brand drugs
 Backdrop of foreign currency shortages/
hyperinflation- a scenario where most
people cannot afford medicines
Future Plans
 Launch the National People’s Health
Movement
 Continue with our campaign on Rights
to Health
 Celebrate 30 years of Alma Arta
together with 10th Anniversary of CWGH
You Can Visit us @
114 McChlery Avenue
Eastlea, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Tel: +263(04) 776 989/ 788 100/ 788 099
Fax: +263 (04) 788 134
[email protected]
Regional Offices
706 Old Mutual Building
7th Floor, Old Mutual Building
Cnr Jason Moyo/ 8th Avenue
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe