EAC
Sunday, August 24, 2014
EAC to talk about Ebola threat
NO CHANCES: Nigerian health officials ready to screen all passengers last week when total fatalities in West Africa topped 1300. COURTESY PHOTO
ARUSHA, Tanzania - A meeting to discuss the Ebola threat in the East African Community (EAC) and how to respond, is to take place here soon.
Dr. Enos Bukuku, the EAC deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure disclosed this during a speech to over 120 heath officials and practitioners from the Eastern, Central and Southern African region (APESCA) 2014 Congress.
“We are to convene this meeting to discuss initial plans to secure and safeguard the lives of our people in the EAC region, not only to the current Ebola threat, but also as steps towards regional cooperation in health,” Dr. Bukuku said last week.
He said, “We are soon going to call an emergency meeting of key ministries on this situation, which include health, transport, security and immigration in the EAC Partner States to discuss keenly on the Ebola threat in the region and lay the ground of working together to prevent it.”
Apart from discussing further plans to harmonize health policies, drug and medical registration processes, the meeting will tackle how to handle both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Meanwhile, APESCA President and Chairperson of the organizing committee, Dr. Edda Vuhahula, said the 12th Bi-annual Conference of the Association of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (APECSA) was organized by Association of Pathologists of Tanzania (APT).
It brought together medical and laboratories experts, among others, from across Africa, the United Kingdom. Several professional papers were presented.
Speaking during the opening ceremony the President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein said APECSA has a crucial role of ensuring continuous Professional Development in all pathology disciplines.
He said, “I believe, Pathologists should take a leading role in the delivery of quality health care services in all disciplines of medicine.”
Dr. Shein requested participants to come up with proposals and strategies on how good laboratory practice can adequately support efforts to provide better health care services and clinical management of patients.
He challenged Association of Pathologists of Tanzania (APT) to properly plan for training of pathologists, by creating a conducive environment to attract young doctors to pursue postgraduate studies in pathology.
President Shein reiterated the issue of training of pathologists should go hand in hand with the development of services in health institutions, such as provision of modern well equipped laboratories and trained personnel.
He called for greater attention and resolute actions by development planners include planners in the Health Ministries, Planning Commissions, Higher Education authorities, Ministries of Finance and others to realize the significant contribution of pathology services.
His Excellency Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein implored on regional pathologists to be more patriotic and have greater perseverance, determination to serve and devotion to their profession. “I am glad to note that many of our practicing pathologists are in this class of professionals’’
Mr. President underscored the small, inadequate number of Pathologists in the region, not deter efforts to institute quality assurance measures for improving the profession and laboratory services. He commended the Association for the initiative to establish a College of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (COPECSA) under the umbrella of APECSA.
Meanwhile, in the light of improving laboratory services in Tanzania, H.E Ali Mohamed Dr. Shein received a donation of 400 Hepatitis B and C test kits for both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar from Standard Diagnostics Africa Company.
By Elisha Mayallah, Sunday, August 24th, 2014