Luanda - Angola’s Health minister, Silvia Lutucuta, Thursday in Luanda advocated the need for greater mobilisation of financial resources for the implementation of the 2023/2027 Strategic Cooperation Plan for Health (PECS) of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP ).
Silvia Lutucuta, who was speaking at the 4th extraordinary meeting of Health Ministers of the CPLP, spoke of the need for voluntary contributions, in the volume considered appropriate to the Special Fund of the CPLP dedicated to PECS-CPLP 2023-2027.
According to the minister, the PECS-CPLP continues to be necessary and opportune, since it constitutes a main instrument for guiding cooperation in health in the CPLP.
"The PECS-CPLP allows us to anchor a cooperation in health between the Member States, which we understand to be mutually advantageous, as well as increase the relationship of our Community with different development partners, under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", the minister said.
The minister, who was speaking as acting president of the meeting of CPLP Health Ministers, underlined that the meeting was being held to approve the PECS 2023/2027, a document that will guide cooperation in health in CPLP member states.
Lutucuta added that the PECS-CPLP 2023-2027 was an opportunity to increase human resources training, strengthen the role of National Public Health Institutes, increase epidemiological surveillance in the states and educate the population about health.
The PECS-CPLP 2023-2027 recognises human resource capacity building and research as strategic points for managing systems' appropriate response to global health security.
"The PECS-CPLP 2023-2027 also brings novelties in its monitoring and governance structure, providing for an annual meeting of the Advisory Bodies to assess the degree of implementation, which may lead to adjustments or revisions to the Plan to be submitted for consideration at the meeting of CPLP Health Ministers", the minister said.
The minister added that the tool brings comfort to all Member States and will allow a timely adaptation of the PECS-CPLP to new dynamics or proposals, resulting from the community vision, evolution of the international health framework and the cross-cutting alignment with other cooperation activities of the CPLP.
The new edition of PECS-CPLP, Lutucuta said, would make it possible to formalise an increasingly consistent partnership with civil society in the CPLP, via joint work with the Thematic Commission of Consultative Observers of the CPLP for the Health and Food Safety sector.
The first edition of the PECS-CPLP, the minister said, was approved in 2009, with Brazil, Cabo Verde and Portugal contributing financially to the effort to launch and implement the PECS-CPLP.
The minister explained that the then resources identified by these three Member States of 400,000 euros, allowed for a structured dialogue with the World Bank, which provided an additional financial contribution of 500,000 euros.
Lutucuta re-stated Angola's commitment to holding the First CPLP Conference on Primary Health Care by the end of 2023 and to promote a Round Table to mobilise development partners to implement the PECS-CPLP.
To this end, it will be relevant to maintain the articulation of the CPLP with the World Health Organization (WHO), aligning the priorities of the PECS-CPLP with the priorities of this organization and with other multilateral organizations of the United Nations system, regional organizations of Member States and Associated Observers.
The minister also highlighted the exchange and sharing of knowledge, considering it fundamental to respond to the most recent international information, which allows us to see some improvement in indicators such as average life expectancy, infant and maternal mortality and health coverage.
