A continent-wide and dedicated women’s health initiative was launched today to advocate for and implement solutions to improve healthcare for women in Africa.
The Coalition for Women’s Health In Africa (CoWHA) is the first initiative emanating from a conference held in February, in Kenya, where private healthcare firms, organisations and governments met to interrogate and carve out a novel approach to better healthcare systems on the continent.
COWHA is a joint initiative by principal founding members, Organon, (a women’s healthcare focused pharmaceutical company) the African Health Business consultancy (AHB), Hologic and BD, as founding members.
Managing director of Organon South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr Abofele Khoele said: “Gender equity in access to health, and in other parameters of society is an ideal for which Organon has laboured since its inception just over a year ago, and this is illustrated in its vision in creating a better and healthier every day for every woman. This vision is at the core of the organsations mandate, it is entrenched within the DNA of the company, and thus Organon is pleased to have found shared commonality with the African Health Business, Hologic and all the key stakeholders present at the launch.”
Khoele noted that knowledge and deep research lie at the heart of COWHA. So too does dialogue and policy development while creating overall awareness and a universal knowledge base for the public. “COWHA will focus on the three strategic pillars namely Knowledge and Research, Policy and Dialogue and lastly Action, all of which are mission critical to achieving the stated objective of advancing women’s health. The first pillar of knowledge and research aims to directly tackle the big challenge of the gender data gap, as well as the global north-south divide in data. Local research to drive local solutions is incredibly important in ensuring appropriateness and relevance to our African setting. The second pillar talks to activities that lay the foundation for coherent policy frameworks that will allow all of Africa to rise together, leaving no woman behind. The final pillar aims to translate intent into material outcomes by leveraging synergies, resources, consolidating efforts of governments and the private sector to have continent-wide impact.
In closing Khoele emphasised that the health stakeholders need to continue what they have been doing, but with more determination and structure. “We must continue with health systems strengthening, with programs of early detection, diagnosis, and treatment and with initiatives that provide access to lifesaving and life-changing devices and medicines.”
Other notable speakers who attended the launch included the Her Excellency Dr Ergogie Tesfaye Minister of Women and Social Affairs in Ethiopia, the minister officially launched the coalition and shared her resounding support for COWHA. In her address she highlighted the many disparities’ that women faced and how continued and determined action by the governments, private sector and the public at large is key to the success of attaining better healthcare and services for women.
Guests also got the opportunity to contribute to the mandate of COWHA by drafting on the mission board their vision for women’s health in Africa, these comments demonstrated that the success that COWHA aims to attain in its goals can only be achieved through collaboration.
Cutaways and Overlay: https://we.tl/t-H2JoVN07A1
Interview: Dr Abofele Khoele: Managing Director of Organon South Africa: https://we.tl/t-Cy1fFrO6LL
Upsounds Dr Ergogie Tesfaye: Minister for Women and Social Affairs, Ethiopia: https://we.tl/t-JThnR5Xsdx
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Coalition for Women’s Health In Africa (CoWHA).
Download additional image: https://bit.ly/3ToWX37
Additional Information:
The Africa region accounts for more than half of all maternal deaths worldwide per annum, despite it being a largely preventable occurrence. In addition, underinvestment in women’s health is still underwhelming with investments being channelled primarily to higher-level facilities at the expense of primary care of the rural populations leading to the lacklustre management of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension
Issued by: G&G Digital
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About COWHA:
CoWHA is a membership-based private health sector action platform that strives to ensure that women in Africa have access to equitable, affordable, and quality healthcare.
CoWHA is a collective private health sector action platform towards an enabling environment for the advancement of women’s health on the African continent.
Africa Health Business acts as the secretariat and Organon is a Primary Principal Founding Member.
About Organon:
Organon is a global healthcare company headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA that focuses on the improvement of women’s health throughout their lives. Organon has a portfolio of more than 60 medicines and products across a range of therapeutic areas. Organon has a global footprint with significant scale and geographic reach, and world-class commercial capabilities. In Africa and South Africa, Organon is headquartered in Johannesburg.
For more information, check https://www.Organon.com/
About African Health Business:
Africa Health Business is a pan-African boutique consulting firm, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, that aims to improve access to equitable healthcare in Africa. Africa Health Business has a strong footprint in Africa and the expert team provides clients with effective, evidence-based solutions for today’s complex healthcare challenges. For more information, check https://www.AHB.co.ke/
