The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, brought together 3,000 participants from different parts of the world to address global issues in various sectors. The participants included 1,600 business leaders, 350 heads of state and government ministers, and a multitude of academics, civil society leaders, and entrepreneurs. The Financing Alliance for Health (FAH) was among the active participants who took part in various sessions.
One notable session featured FAH’s CEO Dr Angela Gichaga as a speaker on the topic “Healthy Planet, Healthy People”. The session was moderated by Daniel Nowack, Head of the Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum. Other speakers included Monika Lessl, Executive Director of Bayer Foundation in Switzerland, and Oluwaloni Olatubosun, Founder of LifeBank in Nigeria. The panelists discussed the intricate relationship between community health, climate change, and financial support.
Dr Gichaga shed light on the alarming global health threat posed by climate change. Rising temperatures, droughts, and floods contribute to famine, malnutrition, and increased vector-borne diseases, altering the landscape of global health. According to the World Health Organization, there is a projected 250,000 additional deaths annually from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress by 2030-2050. These estimated direct damage costs to health are staggering, ranging between US$2-4 billion per year by 2030.
To address these challenges, Dr Gichaga highlighted the pivotal role Community Health Workers (CHW) play, acting as the first line of defence during crises like COVID-19 and Ebola. They play a crucial part in disease detection, treatment, and climate adaptation. “Community health programs are crucial for helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. An investment in community health is an investment in climate response.” she said.
The Economic, Health, and Gender Case for Investment
Research led by the Financing Alliance for Health reveals a daunting US$4.4 billion annual funding gap on the African continent, putting health and community-led climate adaptation at risk. Investing in community health systems reveals a compelling case: a remarkable 10:1 return on investment. For every US$1 invested, we can reap US$10, preventing around 3 million deaths. Furthermore, 70% of CHWs are women, contributing significantly to an empowerment agenda.
In Africa this investment is even more crucial, Dr Gichaga adds “Rural and remote communities in Africa are being disproportionately impacted by extreme weather events. In sub-Saharan Africa, droughts tripled, severe storms quadrupled, and floods have increased tenfold, since the 1970s – twice as fast as for the rest of the world.” revealing the urgent need to invest more in resilient and climate adaptive health systems.
FAH Standing in the Gap
The Financing Alliance for Health has made significant efforts to address the financial barrier in healthcare. They have done so by partnering with Africa Frontline First, The Skoll Foundation, J&J Foundation, Ventures, and the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria. Together, they have co-designed a catalytic fund to support their collaborative efforts.This catalytic fund invests US$100 million across 8-10 African countries to remove barriers to scaling effective community health systems. Country-led teams have already submitted their priorities and the funds are now flowing in-country.
In addition, the Africa Frontline First team is designing a scaling mechanism to raise approximately US$2 billion. The funds will support the creation of 200,000 paid jobs for Community Health Workers and enable access to healthcare for 100 million people across Africa. The scaling mechanism is a catalytic investment opportunity that will leverage domestic on budget resources, bilateral and multi-lateral resources, philanthropic resources, and private investments that will incentivize quality health service delivery at the household level while entrenching climate adaptation and mitigation measures.
In Dr Gichaga’s words, “Where one lives should not determine if they live.” She invited participants to create more resilient health systems in Africa.
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- Dr. Angela Gichaga speaking in Healthy Planet, Healthy People at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
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- Audience at the “Healthy Planet, Healthy You” session held on the sidelines of the annual WEF2024 meeting.
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- The session was moderated by Daniel Nowack, Head, Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship, World Economic Forum.
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- More than 3,000 participants gathered for the annual WEF 2024 meeting in Davos.