Danny Mutembe, Vice President of the Rwanda Healthcare Federation (RHF), affirmed on the sidelines of the 76th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, held in Addis Ababa, that the capital is demonstrating a strong commitment to improving healthcare through collaboration between the government and the private sector.

Mutembe noted that creating a favorable environment for non-state actors to deliver health services is fundamental to strengthening healthcare systems, describing public-private partnerships as “essential.”

The RHF vice president stated that Ethiopia’s progress in developing health institutions and regulatory capacity offers valuable lessons for other African countries, citing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example.

The official also emphasized that growing local medical capacity could help reduce Africa’s dependence on treatments from outside the continent.

Mutembe also urged African countries to strengthen health cooperation and promote greater self-sufficiency, noting that the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the risks of relying on external systems.

abo/iff/ro/nmr