Johannesburg - Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, said the experience during the Covid19 pandemic highlighted weaknesses in health systems while at the same time it taught us that international collaboration and partnerships offered important benefits for all of humankind and ensured that “no one is left behind”.
Phaahla said as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), there had to be an effort to promote the use of digital health technologies to strengthen the sharing of information that may be useful for pandemic preparedness, prevention and response (PPPR) between the nations.
The minister said any health emergency was not over until there was an assurance that everyone was safe, so it was imperative that there was full preparation to prevent and rapidly respond to any future global pandemic.
As part of the recently agreed 15th BRICS 2023 declaration, he said members were ready to institute the BRICS Integrated Early Warning Systems to prevent infectious disease.
“This is aimed at providing early warnings and effective response measures to prevent any possible local and cross-border spread of infectious diseases and minimise the occurrence of
pandemics,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of manufacturing, information and resource sharing among BRICS nations in preparation for any future pandemics.
Phaahla said with the ongoing development of local manufacturing capacity and capabilities, local pharmaceutical companies were set to play a pivotal role in the production and supply of affordable medicines for the domestic market and the rest of Africa.
The Star