By: Malaria No More UK
Part of the great reset is building a better healthcare system and a stronger, more resilient, Africa economy that delivers better health for all and shared prosperity for decades to come. The pandemic experience has provoked what could become a renaissance in public-health innovation and delivery.
Africa bears 94% of the burden of global malaria cases and a child still dies every two minutes It’s time to shift the conversation again—and with the same intensity as the world did a year ago when it pivoted from the single imperative of safeguarding lives to the twin imperatives of safeguarding lives and livelihoods. The world now needs to focus on the next battleground and fight to eradicate the oldest disease in history.
Ahead of the Global Fund 7th replenishment June 2022, world leaders need to draw from the lessons learnt during COVID-19, and make the case that universal health coverage is both possible and imperative. With these objectives in mind, the world could be on the cusp of a new age of prosperity by eradicating malaria, TB and HIV. A key lesson to carry forward is that the faster governments move, and the greater the scale of the intervention, the better health and economic outcomes for citizens. During the pandemic, we learned to cope; in the post-pandemic world, we need to learn to thrive.
As young people we need to harness the latest innovations, new insights, and determination to improve the Africa continent. In less than 10 years, UHC2030 can become a reality and malaria will be relegated to a narrative of the past. Governments, businesses, donors, and communities must join the fight and set the agenda for the next decade.