By Edwin Austin
In a world grappling with systemic challenges from community, individual, policy, and governance levels, healthcare leaders are reimagining the roadmap to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as echoed during the Regional Health Promotion Conference 2025. This shift was vividly underscored by VSO’s Global Health Lead, Papa Diouf, who emphasized the urgent need for innovative, community-centric solutions to address mounting barriers, especially in light of shrinking donor funding and fragmented health supply chains.
“You may have heard that there has been some funding cuts from various donors, and that creates a big challenge. And one of the objectives of this conference is to talk about health financing within that context, that is becoming very tricky and very complex for the work that we are trying to do,” said Papa Diouf before emphasizing that: “We must reimagine our supply chains and systems, adopting strategies that are effective without being overly reliant on significant funding.” This pragmatic approach offers hope amid adversity, highlighting that not all progress requires substantial financial resources.
During a media engagement on the sidelines of the conference, Papa Diouf also echoed VSO’s core belief of empowering individuals to take charge of their health. By amplifying the voices of communities, people are encouraged to demand their right to quality healthcare and hold governments accountable. However, he pointed out that the approach is not entirely adversarial noting that, “Partnership is the foundation of UHC. Governments, organizations, and communities must collaborate to ensure no one is left behind.”
The health promotion summit also encompassed a number of interactive plenary sessions with experts emphasising that the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires embedding human rights not only in discussions, but also ensuring its embedded into the fabric of our healthcare strategies. By creating systems where the voices of the most affected are amplified, and adopting a policy reform approach that upholds the rights of women and girls to make decisions about their health, Jacqueline Amongin, Uganda’s Representative for East African Legislative Assembly, envisioned an inclusive healthcare future built on shared responsibility and compassion.
To ensure the messaging reaches the intended audience, Dr. Katja Kerschbaumer, Head of Cooperation Austrian Embassy in Uganda, called for more media engagement, stressing on the vital role played by the media in healthcare. By Dr. Kerschbaumer’s account, fostering partnerships and spotlighting local innovations, the region could catalyze progress toward equitable, resilient health systems, which are a necessity for achieving not only the SDG 3, but also Africa’s broader developmental aspirations.
Dr. Lucy Liwewe Mazaba, Eastern Africa Regional Director Africa CDC, seconded her remarks underscoring the need to also have effective community health promoters since a number of learned health workers have in the past shied away from going into the villages. “Sometimes the most learned individual is not the most qualified to send out the health messages,” Dr. Lucy asserted before concluding by asking health experts, at least those that still don’t, to embrace humility when handling patients despite their large dissimilarities in education levels.
Suffice it to say, the two-day event commencing and ending on the 18th and 19th of March respectively, was all about finding actionable pathways towards three main goals. Firstly, building partnerships by bringing together multi-sectoral stakeholders to strengthen collaboration. Secondly, finding innovative strategies that include identifying sustainable health financing models and elevating health promotion from rhetoric to practice and lastly, community inclusion by ensuring marginalized communities actively shape the future of healthcare.
“The stakes are high, but the sentiment is clear: Africa’s healthcare challenges can only be solved from within. As the African proverb wisely reminds us; If you want to go far, walk together, but if you want to go fast, walk alone,” Papa Diouf said before concluding by saying. “This conference is a critical step towards a unified approach to UHC that values inclusivity, innovation, and resilience. Success hinges not only on discussion but on decisive action, a call to walk far, together.”