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Universal Health Coverage: Rethinking prioritization of eye health data for advocacy to achieve UHC by 2030
Date: Friday, 2nd September
Time: 11:00 GMT
This Advocacy to Action event will present the need and the case for initiating dialogues with governments and stakeholders by advocates of eye health to set the 2030InSight strategic plan in action in the region. The discussions will focus on approaches and needs to generate robust data and evidence that helps targeted interventions to increase equity in eyecare services and for its inclusion in UHC. The discussions and activities will explore using evidence and its gaps as policy hooks for advocacy and how the global commitments on eye health, targets and indicators will help supplement the dialogues. The activities will also help advocates understand support tools and resources available for framing effective policy dialogues.
Learning Outcomes:
The participants will gain an understanding of:
Technical Advisor – Operation Eyesight Universal
Medical Director, Watborg Eye Services
Dr. ‘Bo’ Wiafe is recognized as an authority in the development of sustainable eye care in Africa. Bo joined Operation Eyesight’s team in 2006 as Regional Advisor. He went on to become Director of Quality and Advocacy. In this role, Bo advocated Operation Eyesight Universal’s work to eye health providers, ministries of government, corporations, and other NGOs. In 2015, Dr. Bo led the first-ever Ghana National Blindness and Visual Impairment Study as the principal investigator. He is also a WHO master trainer for Primary eye care. With more than 35 years’ experience in eye care, Dr. Wiafe is recognized as an authority in the development of sustainable eye care in Africa.
Senior Global Technical Lead for Eye Health – ECSA
Sightsavers International
Dr Tesfaye Haileselassie Adera is an Ophthalmologist and is the Senior Global Technical Lead for eye health for the East Central and Southern Africa region at Sightsavers International. His work focusses on supporting eye health services development in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
Dr Tesfaye served as the president of Ophthalmological Society of Ethiopia three terms and is an active member of the society. He is also counsel member of the College of Ophthalmology of Eastern Central and Southern Africa (COECSA) and a member of The International Council of Ophthalmology.
Medical Advisor, Inclusive Eye Health, CBM
Regional Chair, Sub Saharan Africa, IAPB
Aaron Thembinkosi Magava is an ophthalmologist and public eye health expert based in Zimbabwe, Africa. Dr. Magava’s work primarily involves improving eyecare provision and providing post-graduate training in Zimbabwe.
As the chair for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) for Sub Saharan Africa, and as the medical advisor for the Christian Blind Mission (CBM) inclusive eye health initiative for southern Africa, Dr. Magava is involved in the development of eye health policy, strategy, and implementation for Sub Saharan African States. He is also a member of the National Prevention of Blindness Committee of Zimbabwe and a committee member of the Eye Health Expert in the East Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), in which he advises Health Ministers on areas pertaining to Eye Health Care.
Director, Advocacy Aid
Patricia holds a Master of Laws degree in Public Law from the University of Cape Town.
She has worked in the development sector for more than two decades. She has extensive experience in the review, assessment, development and strengthening of public systems to realise the human rights and development obligations of countries. She has supported government ministries and non-government organisations across the African continent develop evidence-based advocacy strategies, policies, programmes and supporting systems for the universal realisation of rights of all to build human capital for sustainable, inclusive development.
She has worked with organisations such as UNICEF, the Southern African Development Community, Orbis Africa, Save the Children, health and children’s rights coalitions such as the African Early Childhood Network, research institutes such as the Centre for Excellence in Human Development at WITS university and the IAPB.
Medical Officer Non-Communicable Diseases, Multi Country Assignment Team(MCAT) Malawi, Namibia Zambia and Zimbabwe WHO AFRO.
Barango Prebo is a medical doctor with experience in management, prevention and control of NCDs that spans over 2 decades in developing country context. His work has included design and implementation of programs for prevention and management of NCDs in several countries in the African region. He has supported several countries in the African region to develop national health policies, strategies and programs to reduce the burden of NCDs in line with the NCD Global Action Plan 2013-2020: the Global Monitoring Framework for NCDs prevention and control and regional needs.
He also has worked closely with countries in East and Sothern African (ESA) sub-region of WHO AFRO and partners to develop, implement and evaluate policies, strategies and action plans for the prevention and control of NCDs in the context of strengthening the health system using the PHC approach as well as in the design planning and conduct of population based survey for NCDs and their risk factors. In his current role, Dr Barango provides technical support to countries in the region to develop and implement comprehensive national programs to ensure the achievement of the UHC and SDG targets for NCD, by these Countries.
Head of External Affairs & Strategic Partnerships/Programs, East Africa Cluster,
Novartis Global Health
Dr. Mwiti Makathimo is responsible for Policy & Advocacy, Partnerships and Global Health Programs within EAC. Mwiti is a Medical Doctor and also holds Master’s degrees in project planning/Management (MAPPM) and Public Health (MScPH). As a Public Health expert, he is keen on the transformation of health systems to enable the attainment of good health/wellbeing as well as universal quality healthcare for all. Besides human health, his interests also span across one health and planetary health.
