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Tag: Dr. Matshidiso Moeti

AVW: WHO commends African countries for elimination of maternal, neonatal tetanus through increased immunization coverage
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization, WHO, has commended high burden African countries for the elimination of maternal, tetanus through increased immunization coverage .
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti stated this in a message to celebrate the African Vaccination Week and the 50th Anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).
Moeti said, “The Progress towards eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus in our region has also been commendable.”
“As of March 2024, 43 out of 47 high-burden African countries had been validated for elimination, representing 91% of our Member States in the African Region.”
She noted that over the years there has been strong collaboration among member states , international organizations, health workers and communities in the area of increased immunization coverage rates, which have resulted in elimination of preventable diseases in the African countries.
“At WHO, we have worked collaboratively with partners to launch special initiatives to strengthen immunization efforts.”
Moeti commended strongly African countries for continually investing in immunization and primary health card systems and fostering partnership and collaboration as well as making significant strides towards health for all citizens.
Furthermore, she disclosed that Africa is not resting on its oars concerning increased vaccine developed for the continent.
She said, ” Efforts to strengthen vaccine research capacity in Africa are underway, and our Member States are increasing investments to advance vaccine development in Africa.”
” Through our African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF) platform, we continue to engage AVAREF Members in the region while providing oversight, technical expertise, and collaboration opportunities for developing and evaluating vaccines on the continent.”
“Africa Vaccination Week , and World Vaccination Week is to increase awareness of the importance of every person’s need and right to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
“We keep vaccination high on national and regional agendas for healthy communities. This year, 2024, the week embraces another milestone: the 50th anniversary of immunization, she explained.
She said that the 50 year of increased immunization coverage , results so far recorded includes eradicating smallpox in 1979 and wild poliovirus in 2020.
With the launch of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, in 1974 by WHO, the programme grew and widened, moving from the initially targeted six diseases (diphtheria, measles, polio, tetanus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough) to 14 vaccine-preventable diseases, Moeti said.
April 27, 2024
WHO calls for global investment in cancer prevention
…Warns by 2030 cancer deaths may reach about one million per year
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization, WHO, has called in world leaders to invest in the prevention of cancer.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, in her message on the 2024 World Cancer Day with the theme,”The theme for this year is “Together, we challenge those in power”, as this year marks the third and final year of the campaign.
She said, “This theme encompasses the global demand for leaders to prioritize and invest in cancer prevention and care and to do more to achieve a just and cancer-free world.”
She said, “Leaders are responsible for ensuring that cancer prevention and care deploy technologies and therapies that are available at low cost to affected persons and their families, which are the value for money”, adding that countries to strengthen their local information systems to gather quality data for decision-making.
Moeti lamented the cancer situation in Africa as disheartening, with approximately 882 882 new cancer cases in 2022 with about 573 653 deaths.
” About 50% of new cancer cases in adults in the region are due to breast, cervical, prostate, colorectal, and liver cancers.”
WHO further warns that by 2030 cancer deaths are projected to reach to about one million per year and also in 20 years these death rates will overtake the global average of 30%.
In the African Region will overtake the global average of 30% if urgent measures are not taken to stem the tide.
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This is more so because cancer survival rates in the WHO African region currently average 12%, much lower than the average of over 80% in High-Income Countries.”
Meanwhile, WHO commended 17 countries for their progress in cancer prevention and care by introducing high-performance-based screening tests in line with the WHO recommendations.
We call on the region’s countries, communities, partners, and civil society to unite and foster universal access to cancer prevention and care, Moeti said.
February 7, 2024
ATM: WHO urges countries to integrate traditional Medicine into health systems to achieve UHC
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization, WHO, has called for the integration of traditional Medicine into health systems of countries towards the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage, UHC, of countries.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti made this call today in her message to celebrate the 2023 ATM day in Africa.
Moeti said that integration of traditional Medicine into the national health systems of countries would contribute to achieving UHC for all and health related sustainable development goals.
Speaking on how this can be achieved, she said, ‘ Where appropriate, Member States should redefine laws, policies, and health services to enable holistic and relevant decisions, seamless choices with a transformative focus on prevention, maintenance, primary healthcare.”
She said, “I urge Member States to apply local knowledge, science, technology, and innovation to unlock the contribution of TM to advancing planetary health and people’s well-being across the life course, through regional and culturally appropriate nutrition and lifestyles within sustainable environments.”
Moeti further called the acceleration of research, production , regulation and formal utilization of evidence based traditional and indigenous products in national health systems.
While applauding African countries for their steps in nurturing ATM within their health systems, she noted that approximately 80% of the regional population using in traditional medicine for fundamental health needs, adding that, “it remains an embodiment of our identity, resilience, and heritage.”
WHO also urged for the training and education of traditional health practitioners to facilitate their integration into primary health care services, as ATM has become a culturally accepted health seeking behavior in the African Region.
The 2023 ATM day was marked with the theme, “The Contribution of Traditional Medicine to Holistic Health and Well-being for All.
It is a day for the resonance of the inaugural WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit held in Gandhinagar.
September 2, 2023
ATM: WHO urges countries to integrate traditional Medicine into health systems to achieve UHC
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization, WHO, has called for the integration of traditional Medicine into health systems of countries towards the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage, UHC, of countries.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti made this call today in her message to celebrate the 2023 ATM day in Africa.
Moeti said that integration of traditional Medicine into the national health systems of countries would contribute to achieving UHC for all and health related sustainable development goals.
Speaking on how this can be achieved, she said, ‘ Where appropriate, Member States should redefine laws, policies, and health services to enable holistic and relevant decisions, seamless choices with a transformative focus on prevention, maintenance, primary healthcare.”
She said, “I urge Member States to apply local knowledge, science, technology, and innovation to unlock the contribution of TM to advancing planetary health and people’s well-being across the life course, through regional and culturally appropriate nutrition and lifestyles within sustainable environments.”
Moeti further called the acceleration of research, production , regulation and formal utilization of evidence based traditional and indigenous products in national health systems.
While applauding African countries for their steps in nurturing ATM within their health systems, she noted that approximately 80% of the regional population using in traditional medicine for fundamental health needs, adding that, “it remains an embodiment of our identity, resilience, and heritage.”
WHO also urged for the training and education of traditional health practitioners to facilitate their integration into primary health care services, as ATM has become a culturally accepted health seeking behavior in the African Region.
The 2023 ATM day was marked with the theme, “The Contribution of Traditional Medicine to Holistic Health and Well-being for All.
It is a day for the resonance of the inaugural WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit held in Gandhinagar.
September 1, 2023
Countries Must Tackle Challenges Hindering Safe, Quality Blood Products – WHO
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization, WHO, African Regional Director, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti has called on countries in the region to tackle the persistent challenges hindering the flow of sustainable access to safe and quality blood and blood products for patients.
Dr. Moeti made this call in a message to mark the 2023 World Blood Donor Day, in the African Region.
Moeti who called on Nigeria and countries in the African Region and said, ” We must address persistent challenges to ensure sustainable access to safe and quality-assured blood and blood products for needy patients. ”
According to her, this can be achieved through collaborative efforts by countries to raise adequate and sustainable funding and increase blood donation rates.
“We also need to build the capacity of countries to separate donated blood into its components such as red cell concentrates, platelet concentrates, fresh frozen plasma, and curb inappropriate clinical transfusion practices. Blood donation still remains low income countries.”
Furthermore, she emphasized that Blood collection remains low at an average donation rate of 5.9 units per 1000 people compared to 33.1 donations per 1000 people in high-income countries, adding that for financial barrier to accessing safe blood in Africa Region , is causing patients to pay, on average, US$ 42 out of pocket to access safe blood.”
“Results from a survey conducted in 2022 revealed that sixteen (16) countries out of thirty-nine (39) that took part in the survey, had more than 80% of voluntary non-remunerated blood donation (VNRBD), and 19 countries had less than 50% of voluntary non-remunerated blood donation.”
These statistics indicate that there is a need for more work to be done in the African Region to improve access to safe blood and blood products, she noted.
A blood service that gives patients access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity is a key component of an effective health system providing patient centered healthcare and focusing on assuring equitable access with the aim of progressing to achieving Universal Health Coverage.
Over the years, Member States in the WHO African Region have made significant progress in establishing nationally coordinated blood transfusion services, policy frameworks, and national standards for collecting, testing, processing, storing and distributing blood and blood products.
The World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year on 14 June to raise awareness of safe blood and blood products, such as plasma, and highlight the critical contribution of voluntary, unpaid blood donors to save lives.
It gives a special opportunity to celebrate and thank voluntary blood donors worldwide for their gift of blood; as the day also focuses on achieving universal access to safe blood transfusion.
This year’s campaign slogan is “Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often” and it underlines the role every person can play by regularly giving the valuable gift of blood to create a safe and sustainable supply of blood and blood products that can always be available to needy patients.
The WHO Regional Lead used the day to celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood and encourage all of us to join efforts to ensure access to safe blood for all in need.
“I would like to emphasize the critical roles of regular voluntary unpaid blood and plasma donations in achieving universal access to safe blood products for all populations.”
Moeti said, ‘ I call on governments, partners, and all stakeholders to mobilize support at district, national and regional levels to invest in strengthening and sustaining blood programs.”
Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Becoming a blood donor will help ease the pressure on health systems and save lives.
June 15, 2023
74m People In Africa Use Tobacco Due To Aggressive Tobacco Marketing Strategy – WHO
… Urge Governments to support Tobacco farmers to swift to alternative nutrition crops
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization African Regional Director, Dr. Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti has hinted that Tobacco users in Africa have increased to 74 million people in 2018 from 61 million adult users in 2000 due to an aggressive marketing strategy by the Tobacco industry.
Moeti gave this hint in her message today 31 May 2023 as WHO joins the rest of the international community to commemorate the World No Tobacco Day with the theme , ‘Grow Food Not Tobacco.”
She said, “The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health challenges the world has ever faced, killing more than eight million people around the world every year.”
” While the number of people using tobacco products is decreasing in other parts of the world, it is rising in the Africa Region. For example, the number of tobacco users in the WHO African Region increased from an estimated 64 million adult users in 2000 to 73 million in 2018. ”
“This is partly due to the increased production of tobacco products as well as aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry.”
According to the WHO African Region Lead, Tobacco day gives an opportunity to highlight the dangers associated with tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
‘It is also an occasion to renew our advocacy for effective policies to halt the tobacco epidemic and its impact on individuals, societies, and nations.”
Speaking on the theme for this year, she noted that the theme,“Grow Food, Not Tobacco”, aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops.
Also,, Moeti stated that Tobacco growing and production exacerbates nutrition and food insecurity, with an increase in Tobacco it by 10.6% in Africa.
Recently, tobacco cultivation has shifted to Africa because of a regulatory environment that is more favorable to the tobacco industry, as well as an increasing demand for tobacco in the region.
“Tobacco farming destroys the ecosystems, depletes soils of fertility, contaminates water bodies and pollutes the environment.”
WHO warns that any profits gained from tobacco as a cash crop may not offset the damage done to sustainable food production in low- and middle-income countries.
“We face a grave challenge in food and nutrition security imposed by the increasing tobacco farming in the Africa Region.”
” Available data shows that while the area under tobacco cultivation decreased by 15.7% globally, in Africa it increased by 3.4% from 2012 to 2018. ”
Meanwhile, WHO has called on Governments to support tobacco farmers to switch to alternative crops by ending tobacco growing subsidies .
“Shifting from tobacco to nutritious food crops has the potential to feed millions of families and improve the livelihoods of farming communities in Africa.”
Finally, we appeal to tobacco-growing countries in the Africa Region to step up the implementation of Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) by enacting legislation; developing, and implementing suitable policies and strategies, and enabling market conditions for tobacco farmers to shift to growing food crops.
This would provide them and their families with a better life while enhancing the protection of the environment and the health of people, Moeti emphasized.
May 31, 2023
WHO To Support Nigeria’s UHC With $2m UK Grant
.. Urges Nigeria to cash in on CRISP to enhance service delivery at PHC level
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The World Health Organization, WHO, has promised to support Nigeria with it’s UK $2 million grant to strengthen it’s health workers workforce towards achieving the nation’s Universal Health coverage.
The WHO Africa Regional Director, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti made this call at the launch of Community – based Health Research innovation Training and Services Programme , CRISP, at the State House , Abuja.
Moeti disclosed that WHO has been awarded a grant of GBP 2 million by the government of the United Kingdom to support Nigeria to strengthen its health workforce towards achieving .Universal Health Coverage.
She said,”Through this generous support by the UK’s government, WHO Nigeria will work with government MDAs including NPHCDA to optimize the performance, quality, and impact of the health workforce through evidence-in formed policies and strategies.”
The World Health Organization, WHO, has called on the Nigerian Government to increasingly motivate it’s health workers to enhance service delivery at the Primary Health Care level.
Dr. Moeti noted that for a resilient and effective health system, ” Nigeria must have adequate numbers of health workers who are fit for purpose, motivated to perform, and equitably distributed especially at the PHC level to enhance equity in access to their services.”
She urged the Nigerian Government to tap into the CRISP will tap to maximize existing human resources for health and bridge the skills gap at PHCs by tapping the expertise at higher levels of care.
According to Moeti, the strength of every health system reflects on the capacity and adequacy of its health workforce, which are necessary to deliver quality services to address population health needs.
Nigeria , she emphasized has over time experienced chronic under-investment in planning, education, training, employment and working conditions of health workers, adding that such mismatch between education and employment strategies in relation to health systems and population needs are contributing to continuous shortages, especially at the PHC level.
May 24, 2023
World Hearing Day: Africa loses $30B to hearing loss
… 338 m Africans may suffer hearing loss by 2050- WHO
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
As the world marks the 2023 World Hearing Day today, the World Health Organization, WHO, Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti has said owing to the rising rate of ear problems Africa loses nearly $30 billion yearly to hearing loss.
She said, ” In the African Region, nearly US$ 30 billion are lost due to the collective failure to address hearing loss adequately.”
Also, she disclosed that in Africa, about 338 million people are likely to suffer ear and hearing loss by 2050 if steps are not taken to integrate ear and hearing health care into the primary health care system.
Dr. Matshidiso Meoti disclosed this in a message to mark the 2023 World Hearing Day today. with the theme, ” “Ear and hearing care for all! Let’s make it a reality.”
She noted, ” It is a favourable day to reiterate the message on preventing and addressing common ear and hearing problems.”
She said, “In Africa, an estimated that an alarming 135 million people have and hearing problems while 1.5 million people globally are suffering the same”, with nearly 80% living in low and middle income countries.
Furthermore, she explained that WHO is concerned with the burden of ear and hearing issues affecting a marginalized population as she said that there is an ongoing support to Kenya to establish a Centre of Excellence for Eye Health Clinic, Eye Health and Oral Health for its citizens.
“Also, with our support, countries are developing and implementing national strategies for ear health. In 2022, Kenya, Malawi, and Guinea launched and started to implement national ear and hearing care strategies.”
“In 2022, Kenya, Malawi, and Guinea launched and started to implement national ear and hearing care strategies.”
This WHO explained is because many people with hearing loss do not know how and where to find help or do not have access to the needed services.
Meanwhile, WHO said it has developed a WHO PEN packages to integrate hearing care management for primary health care workers through training and capacity building of specialist workforce that serve as the first point of contact for the communities to address the challenges.
To facilitate such integration, we have launched a “Primary ear and hearing care training manual” that is intended to inform doctors, nurses, and other health workers. We have no doubt this manual will benefit people and help countries move towards the goal of universal health coverage, she said.
The global health organization also laments that the burden of ear and hearing on the lives of families and
communities is compounded due to
the limited number of ear, nose, and throat specialists and audiologists available in the countries.
According to the health organization, in most places, access to ear and hearing care continues to be limited to highly specialized centers and clinics, noting that it is necessary to address these conditions of care for people needing these services who seek specialized services, often in distant hospitals.
“Therefore, I encourage governments to prioritize ear and hearing care health programmes as part of their noncommunicable diseases and universal healthcare agendas and increase their campaign, political and financial commitment.”
Increasing newborn hearing screening services, as well as the effective accessibility of hearing aid technology, are critical starting points, she urged.
“To patients suffering from ear and hearing conditions and the public, I recommend that you learn more about these conditions and seek care when needed, including promoting hearing screening services.”
Moeti urged all stakeholders to unite and act on the above recommendations, integrating ear and hearing care services into district health systems and primary health care.
Daybreak reports that the World Hearing Day was developed in response to the World Health Assembly resolution, adopted in 2017 as a means of providing guidance for Member States to integrate ear and hearing care into their national health plans
March 2, 2023
WHO: Cancer Kills 700,000 Africans Annually
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says approximately 1.1 million new cancer cases occur each year in Africa, with about 700,000 deaths.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, stated this Sunday in her statement to mark this year’s World Cancer Day themed ‘Close the Care Gap: Uniting Our Voices and Taking Action.’
She said current projections showed that Africa would account for nearly 50 percent of the global childhood cancer burden by 2050.
Moeti said with significant data challenges, childhood cancer incidence in sub-Saharan Africa was estimated at 56.3 per million population.
According to her, data estimates show a considerable increase in cancer mortality to nearly one million deaths per year by 2030, without urgent and bold interventions.
She said: “We should recall that the most common cancers in adults include breast (16.5%), cervical (13.1%), prostate (9.4%), Colorectal (6%), and liver (4.6%) cancers, contributing to nearly half of the new cancer cases.”
Moeti said 12 countries in the region had valid National Cancer Control Plans.
She said the WHO was supporting 11 additional countries in developing or updating their National Cancer Control Plans aligned to the global cancer initiatives coupled with the presence of governance structures at the government level to implement cancer plans.
She said it was gratifying to note the steady increase of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination national introduction by 51 percent of countries in the region, although coverage remained concerning at 21 percent.
Moeti said despite these achievements, stumbling blocks remain on the continent’s path, including low availability of population-based cancer registries, limited health promotion, inadequate access to primary prevention and early detection services, scarcity of diagnostic facilities that increase delays in diagnosis and treatment, among others.
She called on governments to develop/update national cancer control plans, provide sustainable financing and invest in cancer registration.
February 6, 2023
WMD: Malaria knocks 11.6 m pregnant women, 822,000 infants in 33 countries – WHO
…Nigeria loses US$1.1b to malaria absenteeism
… warms Malaria outbreaks imminent as new Malaria strain invades horn of Africa
By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
As the world marks the 2021 World Malaria Day, WMD, today the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti has disclosed that due to lack of intermittent preventable treatment by two out of three pregnant women there were 11.6 million cases of malaria among pregnant women and 822,000 infants were born with low birth weight reported cases in 33 countries.
Moeti disclosed this in a message to mark the WMD today.
In her message to mark the 2021 WMD with the theme, ” Zero Malaria – Draw the Line Against Malaria, said every malaria case is preventable and every malaria death is unacceptable.
We grieve over 384,000 preventable malaria deaths in the WHO African Region in 2020, she said.
According to WHO, the spread of malaria in responsible for an average reduction of 1.3 of Africa’s economic growth while Nigeria loses an estimated US $1.1 billion every year to malaria absenteeism and productivity.
Furthermore WHO urged countries to help risk population countries to alleviate the malaria scourge citing that in 2019 one in three households did not have an Insecticide – Treated bed net and 48% of under- 5 children did not sleep under an ITN.
Meanwhile, WHO has raised an alarm over new strain of malaria invading the horn of African region caused by genetic mutations of new malaria parasites (pfhrp2/3) gene in recent times with the potential to cause devastating outbreaks in cities and towns.
The global health organization reiterated it’s commitment to revisit the stagnated progress in the malaria fight in the past five years in order to attain the 2030 targets of a malaria free continent.
It also called for urgent action to stop the scourge of this disease and to get on track towards the global malaria goals of a 90% reduction in cases and deaths by 2030.
“This includes investment to expand access to malaria interventions for groups that have been left behind, such as children and pregnant women.”
“Together, we need to move from the perception of malaria as a health problem, to understanding this disease as a threat to socio-economic development that requires a multispectral response.”
With an all-of-society response to draw the line against malaria, together, we can ensure African societies, economies and individuals, prosper, WHO said.
April 25, 2021