Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
SADC health and finance ministers have called for urgent mobilisation of regional resources to strengthen Ebola preparedness, warning that delayed investment will increase both the human and financial cost of future outbreaks.
The appeal was made during the joint meeting of SADC Ministers of Health and Finance, where delegates stressed the need for sustainable financing to bolster regional health security and pandemic preparedness.
SADC Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Magosi said the region’s Ebola response continues to be constrained by limited laboratory capacity, restricted access to healthcare in affected areas, misinformation, funding shortages and risks facing frontline health workers.
He said regional and international partners estimate that US$500 million is required to mount an effective response, cautioning that costs will escalate if funding is not secured promptly.
Magosi said the meeting provides an opportunity to strengthen both the immediate Ebola response and long-term preparedness through existing regional financing mechanisms, including the Resilient Health Systems and Pandemic Preparedness Project.
“As we respond to this outbreak, we must continue building stronger and more resilient health systems capable of preventing, detecting and responding to future public health emergencies more effectively,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora said recent disease outbreaks underscore the need for collective regional action.
“A pathogen that emerges in one member state becomes, within days, a shared concern for us all,” he said.
Drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Mombeshora said investing in surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, emergency stockpiles and trained responders is significantly more cost-effective than managing widespread outbreaks.
“Sustainable and predictable financing for pandemic preparedness is not a luxury. It is an insurance policy that protects everything else,” he said.
He also urged SADC member states to strengthen pooled procurement systems, expand local pharmaceutical manufacturing and increase domestic investment in health security to reduce dependence on external suppliers.
