"We cannot scale up responses to individual disease conditions like malaria and HIV without a system that delivers services to the population...we need to spread financial support to health systems for us to benefit from any scaling up of response," he told a special international health forum which opened here on Wednesday.
 
The two-day forum, being attended by more than 100 participants from 30 multilateral and bilateral organisations and donor agencies, is exploring new approaches for collaboration to improve the health situation in Africa.
 
Muchage told participants: "I urge all of you to take full advantage of the old and new partnerships that exist, and mould them to respond to the healthcare demands of Africa. Partnerships should be designed to benefit the partners...let our partnerships work for the poor and needy in Africa."
 
Speaking at the same occasion, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Luis Sambo, praised Africa's health partners for generously supporting African governments and people to respond to critical health challenges facing the region.
 
He cited cost-effective health interventions that have worked in some parts of Africa, and could be replicated in other parts of the region, but stated that effective delivery presupposed an improved performance of health systems. "This means that we have to address more effectively the issue of human resources, health financing and availability of relevant technologies," the Regional Director said.
 
He appealed to partners to put into action the principles of harmonisation and alignment as spelt out in the Paris Declaration saying: "Despite our diversity, I am very optimistic that we will be able, through open dialogue and critical analysis, to revitalize efforts towards achieving common goals that are ultimately the aspirations of people and their governments."
 
In his contribution, WHO Assistant Director General for Health Systems and Services, Anders Nordstrom, said that health system strengthening - along with health of the people of Africa and of women globally - was one of the priorities of the new WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan.
 
In a presentation on what countries in the region were doing to reach the targets set out in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), former Mozambican President Joacquim Chissano, alluded to reports produced by many national and international agencies which agreed that "it is possible to reach the set of goals in most countries of Africa."
 
Chissano said: "Many countries in the region are making steady progress, as shown by the continuous decline of infant mortality, under-five mortality, maternal mortality, malnutrition and absolute poverty levels. Coverage of health services is increasing, and higher levels of vaccination coverage are being achieved." He, however, cautioned that "it is too soon to celebrate our victories because we still have a long way to go before we can declare sustainability of what we are doing."
 
On the purpose of the Nairobi forum, he said: "It is essential that partners coordinate more among themselves, and with the host countries, in the spirit of the OECD Paris Declaration, endorsed in March 2005. In this forum, our challenge is to produce a balanced mix of short-term objectives, with long-term goals, so that what we do today is in line with what we want to achieve in the long run, in order to provide comprehensive, good quality and affordable health care to our citizens." 10 March 2007 - PANA