Scientists urge leaders to up spending on health education

A group of nine African academics from South Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria and Mali have called on governments and other funders for increased local investment in health research and development with a special focus on developing scientific and production capabilities, scaling-up of digital innovation and strengthening education systems to enable Africa to meet COVID-19 health challenges and prepare it for future pandemics.

These demands were outlined in an open letter to Africa’s leaders by members of the African Voices of Science initiative that aims to reinforce the importance of increased investment in Africa’s research and development sector while building trust in health innovation.

African Voices of Science forms part of Speak Up Africa, which is a network of communication and advocacy networks focused on awareness campaigns and advocacy for public health and sanitation.

The open letter was presented at the fourth Galien Forum Africa held in Dakar, Senegal, from 7-11 December.

The forum is a high-profile gathering linked to the prestigious Prix Galien that has been awarded for 50 years for pharmaceutical innovation. Since 2018, an African forum has been taking place in Dakar.

The letter comes in a context in which an estimated 615 million Africans do not have adequate access to quality health care and Africa accounts for almost half of global deaths from communicable diseases.

“We call on governments, agencies and multilateral companies to urgently increase investments in health research and development, in order to improve the quality and accessibility of our health systems,” the open letter said.

On average, Africa spends 0,45% of GDP on research and development, which is significantly less than the global average of 1.7% and the African Union target of 1%.

Six recommended actions

To do that, the open letter called for six actions, namely, promoting access to public health data, increasing investments in education to develop future health professionals, establishing local laboratories, infrastructure and technologies and enhancing investment in research and development of medical diagnostics, as well as the ability to develop and manufacture tests, along with promoting digital transformation and enhancing scientific cooperation.

The misinformation about the importance of science, innovation, and research and development has detrimental consequences for the fight against COVID-19. It increases the reluctance to vaccinate and prevents the development and adoption of new tools and the effectiveness of disease surveillance, according to the open letter.

Thus, it stated: “We call on African leaders to invest in making the most critical health data accessible to 1.2 billion Africans, in order to tackle the misinformation crisis that is an obstacle to the good health of the continent.

“Despite the global nature of the pandemic, solutions developed on a global scale are not universal or coherently applicable in regions such as Africa.

“It is Africans who know how to solve the continent’s biggest problems and, as such, we need leaders to invest in local laboratories, infrastructure and technologies to ensure we can respond effectively to current health threats and the future of our societies,” the open letter said.

“To succeed in resolving the health crisis in Africa, investing in the future is essential, and education is the cornerstone of this goal,” the letter emphasised.

“African leaders must increase investments in education in order to advance the next generation of scientists, doctors, nurses and health professionals.

“Expanding access to essential medicines and COVID-19 vaccines has demonstrated the importance of increasing access to quality medicines and highlighted the underinvestment in research and development of medical diagnostics, and the ability to develop and manufacture tests that are unevenly distributed around the world,” the open letter pointed out.

“African experts must be at the forefront of developing new testing solutions that meet our needs and are digitally connected to the health system to support treatment pathways and enhance disease surveillance.

“To achieve an effective health system, African governments and the private sector must continue investing in technology and digital innovation,” the open letter said.

According to the letter, the strengthening of COVID-19 regional scientific cooperation demonstrated the need for cooperation between countries and regions, as well as the inability of a single country to ensure its own health security.

Besides improving scientific knowledge and promoting sustainable development on the continent, establishing scientific networks and facilitating access to scientific information will be essential to the formation of a solid African research base and its integration into the international scientific community, the open letter explained.

“The deadline for achieving the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is approaching. If we are to achieve global health equity over the next eight years, it is imperative that Africa invest in targeted health research and development.

“We have an immediate need for cooperation, investment and action by our leaders; Africa’s future depends on it,” the open letter concluded.

Lack of action costs lives

Morad Ahmed Morad, a professor of medicine at Tanta University in Egypt, cautiously welcomed the recommendations.

“No matter how well written, recommended actions are no more than empty words if an implementation plan does not exist to put the actions into effect throughout the African continent,” Morad told University World News.

“I, therefore, hope that the African Union forms a regional task force for transforming these recommended actions into educational initiatives and research projects to be implemented on the ground in Africa,” Morad said.

“The coronavirus time is not the time for empty promises, summits and conferences. It is time to establish independent health research and development systems as any delay costs a lot of lives,” Morad concluded.