Page 85 - 40th Summit Brochure 2020

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Health
T e main function of the SADC
Health Desk is to facilitate the devel-
opments of regional tools including
the protocol, policies, strategies, plans
and guidelines for harmonised
healthcare systems in the region, to
coordinate the adoption, domestica-
tion and implementation of regional
tools for healthcare harmonisation, to
provide technical support in their op-
erationalization, and to monitor and
report progress and challenges to the
ministerial committee on health an-
nually.

Protocol on Health
T e SADC Health Protocol entered
into force in 2004 af er the requisite
• Adolescent Girls and Young Women; number of Member States signed and rati-
• Key Populations; f ed. T e protocol is the guiding document
• Condoms Programming; for the development of regional health poli-
• Voluntary Medical Male cies and programmatic documents.
Circumcision; and
• Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. Medicine Regulatory Harmonisation
In addition, the SADC Secretariat is a T e medicine Regulatory Harmonisation
82 member of the Global Coalition on HIV project under a tripartite Cooperation
prevention. T is will increase the visibility Agreement between the SADC Secretariat,
of the SADC region in the HIV-prevention NEPAD Agency and the World Bank, is
discourse as well as increase advocacy plat- aimed at providing a framework for ef ective
forms for the region to engage at global coordination for the implementation of the
level, and develop partnerships and re- SADC Medicines Regulatory Harmonisa-
source mobilisation opportunities. tion (MRH) Project and supports the imple-
In 2019, SADC has made great mentation of the SADC Pharmaceutical
progress in addressing prevention needs of Business Plan. T e objectives of the MRH
its citizens. With the support of the United are as follows:
Nations Development Programme • Develop regional and national capacity
(UNDP) and the United Nations Popula- to implement medicines regulatory har-
tion Fund (UNFPA), the SADC Secretariat monisation in the region;
assessed Member States progress in imple- • Develop and implement national and re-
menting the SADC Framework for Key gional Management Information Sys-
Populations. tems (MIS) to facilitate decision-making
While Member States have increased and sharing of information among Mem-
service and programme coverage for Key ber States and stakeholders to develop
Population, there has also been progress in and implement a Quality Monitoring
policy and law reform to create an enabling System (QMS); and,
environment and ensure that no one is lef be- • Create a platform for engaging key stake-
hind. holders on the harmonised regulatory
There has also been a substantial system at national and regional levels.
progress in HIV service and programme T e SADC MRH has signif cantly
coverage for Adolescent girls and Young improved the Medicine Regulatory
Women and their sexual partners in the processes in the region in areas of joint
region. This target population remains assessment, joint inspection, self-
critical as it accounts for 40 percent of new benchmarking, guidelines development,
HIV infections in the region. QMS and capacity-building.