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High Level Ministerial Meeting on Health Research for Developing Countries
Accra, from 14–17 June 2006
Health ministers from developing countries call for more support for health research
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High Level Ministerial Meeting on Health Research for Developing Countries
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Fourteen Ministers of Health and Heads of Delegations from Africa, Asia, Middle East and South America meeting in Accra Ghana have called for collaborative efforts amongst countries, regional, bilateral and multi lateral organizations to improve upon health research and its application to health needs.
The Ministers noted that weak and fragile health systems hindered the achievements of health targets including the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in developing countries.
These were contained in a communiqué issued by the Ministers and Heads of Delegations from Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi Mali, South Africa, Uganda, India, Malaysia, Iran and Venezuela at the close of the High Level Ministerial Meeting on Health Research for Developing Countries which took place in Accra from 14 – 17 June 2006.
The Ministerial Session which was preceded by a two-day technical meeting was aimed at creating partnership in the conduct and utilization of research to enhance the control of diseases in developing countries. It was jointly organized by the Ministry of Health of Ghana and the Federal Ministry of Health of Nigeria, with technical and financial assistance from the World Health Organization through the UNICEF/UNDP/WORLD BANK/WHO Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR).
HE John Agyekum Kufour, President of the Republic of Ghana who was represented by Professor Edward Ayensu, Chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) opened the meeting which was attended by Dr. Margaret Chan, Assistant Director General of WHO, Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa and Regional Heads of UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank.
The Ministers of Health and Heads of Delegations in the communiqué noted that access to social infrastructure, good nutrition, literacy, gender empowerment, good communication and other essential development were critical to sound development.
They therefore called for knowledge sharing to improve on the use of research evidence to inform health policies and practices and stressed the need for massive investment in health policy and health system as well as human resource research.
The Ministers expressed their commitment to increase investments in building national health research systems linked to policy planning and service delivery and also gave a firm assurance to that they would develop a comprehensive national health research framework by the end of next year.
In a speech read on his behalf, President Kufour noted that global expenditure on health research had increased while the sources of funding continue to undergo changes.
These changes he said had “worrying consequences” for developing countries saying that now it is commerce and not necessarily the diseases burden that is increasingly defining the research and development agenda and priorities.
“Under such circumstances, the health needs of the poor are left virtually unmet and diseases such as buruli ulcer and leshmaniasis remain grossly neglected in terms of research and development for effective and affordable treatment.
Major Courage Quashigah, Minister of Health of Ghana said the positive response from partners in the ministerial meeting reflected an interest towards the re-definition and implementation of the global health research agenda; as well as a growing awareness in both the public and private sectors that health and development issues were closely linked and they need to be addressed together.
Dr. Luis Sambo in his address expressed the commitment of the World Health Organization to contribute to governments and other stakeholders’ efforts to strengthen their national health research systems, capacity to conduct health research, identify health research priorities, evaluate health research results and translate the knowledge to solve health related problems.
High Level Ministerial Meeting on Health Research for Developing Countries:
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