Matemba heads global health coalition
Malawian health rights activist Maziko Matemba has been elected chairperson of the newly-inaugurated International Coalition on Health Financing Advocacy (Ichfa), a grouping of experienced global health financing professionals.
He was elected last week in Nairobi, Kenya during the Ichfa launch by key stakeholders from some leading civil society, government and private sector organisations representing about 20 countries across Africa and Europe.
Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda was the guest speaker at the event which was also attended by representatives of The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, United Nations Aids (UNAids), Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and the African Union (AU).
According to a statement issued by Ichfa secretariat in Kenya, the new coalition seeks to champion multi-sectoral health financing advocacy efforts under a unified banner.
Reads the statement in part: “Ichfa will address challenges in alignment, resource mobilisation, technical capacity, message harmonisation, governance and partnerships among health financing advocates.
“Recognising the persistent need for increased and sustained health financing, Ichfa brings together over 40 founding organisations, including those previously supported under initiatives like the Joint CSO Learning Agenda [JLA] and National Health Financing Dialogues along with others championing health governance.”
In an interview, Matemba said he was honoured to be appointed the global coalition’s first board chairperson to lead a team of experienced health financing advocacy experts.
“I am really humbled to lead such an esteemed global health financing team of professionals and advocacy in shaping the health agenda we want,” he said.
Matemba called for international collaboration to mobilise resources and enhance fiscal capacity to meet health sector demands and appreciated the global health think-tank for creating this coalition to support and shape the health financing reform agenda.
He further emphasised the challenges faced by African nations, including Malawi, regarding significant disease burdens and financial hardships due to healthcare costs.
Delivering his keynote address, Chithyola Banda stressed the importance of collaboration, citing Malawi’s partnerships with international entities, civil society, and the private sector as instrumental in its progress.
The minister positioned Ichfa as a manifestation of this collaborative spirit, advocating for increased global and domestic financing for HIV programmes.
