Motsaledi urges innovative health financing at G20 amid US aid cuts

AS the continent grapples with funding shortfalls due to the suspension of aid from the United States, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla Motsaledi during his keynote address at G20 Health Working Group Meeting, called for global health partnerships to explore innovative financing mechanisms, to bridge the funding gap.

- NICOLA DANIELS [e-mail]

The three-day meeting which kicked-off is KZN yesterday, takes place under the theme: Accelerate Health Equity, Solidarity and Universal Coverage to create a Platform for building and multilateral engagements on various critical issues including health systems strengthening and promoting equitable access to health services.

Motsaledi last week told members of parliament that South Africa can would be deprived of access to anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs by the US-driven Presidential Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (pepfar) funding cuts.

He said he had called several workshops and meetings and issued a circular, advising provinces to redeploy trained health officials to fill gaps left by Pepfar.

Addressing G20 members yesterday, he further called for international health partnerships to explore financing mechanisms that could bridge the funding gap.

“Our work is inextricably linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. We remain now, with just five years before the 2030 deadline, stark reminders of the urgency required to fulfil the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.