About ECSA Health
Community
In 1974, the East,
Central and Southern African (ECSA) Health Community, formerly known as
Commonwealth Regional Health Community Secretariat was established under the
auspices of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. The organization was set up
to promote regional cooperation in health. In 1980, the ownership of the
organization was transferred directly from COMSEC to member states in the
East, Central and Southern Africa. Currently, the ECSA membership is comprised
of Kenya, Lesotho, malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania,
Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe making ECSA one of the largest health organizations
in the region.
During the 36 years of its
existence ECSA, has evolved into a strong regional organization that provides
member countries with a unique framework for addressing health problems that
require joint action. As an inter-governmental organization ECSA enjoys direct
links with regional health policy-makers who include Health Ministers and
Permanent/Principal Secretaries as well as an extensive network of regional
health institutions. ECSA also maintains strong linkages with international
development agencies based in the region and other parts of the world.
ECSA contributes to
improving health in the region by undertaking activities that aim to promote and
encourage efficiency and relevance in the provision of health services in the
region. Most of the activities have been undertaken in the areas of capacity
building, policy and advocacy, research and evaluation and information
sharing.
Mandate
The mandate of ECSA ias to promote and
encourage efficiency and relevance in the provision of health services in the
region To be the leader in health in East, Central and Southern Africa,
contributing towards the attainment of the highest standard of physical, mental
and social well-being of the people in the region
Mission
ECSA Health
Community recognises health as a fundamental human right. As an
inter-governmental organisation, ECSA-HC promotes the highest standards of
health for the individuals, families and communities through advocacy, capacity
building, brokerage, coordination, inter-sectoral collaboration and
harmonisation of health policies and programmes.
ECSA-HC Governance
Bodies
ECSA Conference of Health
Ministers: The highest govering body and which meets annually to
review policy matters, national health strategies and to define regional health
priorities.
The Advisory
Committee: Composed of Permanent Secretaries of the Ministries of
Health of member states and which functions as the Board of Management of the
Secretariat.
The Diretors' Joint
Consultative Committee: The highest technical committee composed
of Permanent Secretaries, Directors of Health Services, Deans of Medical Schools
and other institutions and heads of health research institutions.
Programme Experts'
Committees: Technical Committees that draw on expertise from
member states Programme Managers, External Advisors, Programme Associates and
Consultants from the region.
What ECSA
Offers:
ECSA-HC taps into
regional and international expertise to promote sharing of experiences and best
practices, identifying health priorities, building capacity of member states and
advocating for improved policies and programmes in the region. Other services
offered by ECSA_HC include:
- Provision of technical support to member states
- Capacity building of member states and partner institutions through
training, team building, curriculum reviews, development and harmnisation,
exchange visits
- Facilitation of research and surveys on health policies and programmes in
the region
- Provision of brokerage and networking opprotunities to health sector
players through various technical and policy level forums
- Providing member states with a forum for reviewing and perhaps comparing
progress on regional and internationallly agreed targets such as MDGs
Technical Programme Areas
ECSA-HC implements its activities under seven technical programmes:
- Family and Reproductive Health Programme
- Food and Nytrition Security Programme
- Health Systems and Services Development Programme
- HIV and Infectious Diseases Programme
- Human Resources for Health and capacity Building
The programme also supports the work of two Colleges namely;
- East, Central and Southern African College of Nursing (ECSACON)
- College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa
(COSECSA)
- Research, Information and Advocacy Programme
- Monitoring and Evaluation Programme