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By Yasiin Sserwanja
Uganda’s Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng has called upon the World Health Organization member states to support and adopt the resolution on access to medical oxygen.
The resolution was drafted back in January this year by Uganda together with other countries including Australia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Türkiye and the European Union.
The resolution calls for among others, inclusion of medical oxygen as a life-saving essential medicine with no substitute on the 22nd World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines.
It further calls for inclusion of medical oxygen and associated medical devices on national lists of essential medicines and medical devices for adults and children, including to address treat hypoxemia and anesthesia, for relevant communicable and non-communicable conditions and injuries for all relevant patients, including for maternal, newborn, infants and children.
Addressing the 76th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Minister Aceng said Uganda co-drafted this resolution after “watching with dismay the avoidable mortality caused by shortage of oxygen across the world during the Covid 19 pandemic.”
“We are living in turbulent times characterized by pandemics, epidemics, conflict, economic stagnation and disruption of global supply chains. Such times require dialogue, solidarity, equity in resource sharing and use, partnerships and collaboration which are the most important tools for human survival, Aceng said.
“We live in a single global health ecosystem where challenges affecting weak health systems can easily spiral and affect the so-called strong health systems of the developed nations. The West African Ebola epidemic and the recent COVID-19 pandemic are good examples. We watched with dismay the avoidable mortality caused by shortage of oxygen across the world during the pandemic. This prompted Uganda, together with several Member States, to champion and sponsor a resolution on medical oxygen. I urge Member States to support and adopt this resolution during this Assembly.”
On the flip side, Minister Aceng cautioned WHO member states against over concentrating on pandemic, and losing focus on Non-Communicable Diseases and Climate Change, which she said pose immense challenges to health systems in the face of diminishing healthcare resources .
Even communicable diseases like Malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and NTDs, she said, are not attracting adequate resources required for control and elimination. “I would like to remind the global health community that this remains an unfinished agenda,” she added. The World Health Assembly kicked off on May 21st 2023 and is ending today, May 30th. It has been running under the theme; “Saving lives, driving health for all.”-URN (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [whatsapp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
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