Ethiopian health officials assemble at Yale University's Global Health Conference
By Merga Yonas | Addis Fortune
Ethiopian health professional leaders have been delegated to participate on an innovative conference cited as “Strategic Problems Solving in Global Health”. The conference is to be hosted from June 15-19, 2009 by the newly launched Global Health Leadership Institute (GHLI) in Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, the United States.
The conference will bring together five health officials from Ethiopia and other four countries with members of Yale’s global health community to generate a high-level dialogue on how to approach vital healthcare issues facing each country.
The delegated officials from Ethiopia are Yibeltal Assefa, director of medical service at the Ministry of Health, Kare Chawicha, head of Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional Health Bureau, Shallo Daba, head of Oromia Regional Health Bureau, Mehari Dessalegn, medical director at Wukro Hospital in Tigrai Regional State and Siraj Abdulahi, chief executive officer at Adama Hospital, Oromia. The other four countries partaking in the conference are Ghana, Liberia, Mexico and Rwanda.
“As Ethiopia is focusing on strengthening the management capacity of healthcare facilities, it is helpful to see what other countries have done and how we might learn the best practices,” Tedros Adhanom (PhD), Ethiopian Minister of Health stated. “I am delighted that the Yale GHLI conference gives us a chance to bring leaders together in a community to learn, help each other and improve the health of our citizens.”
The exact purpose the Ethiopian delegation is to work on methods of strengthening the managerial capacity of personnel within hospital facilities and the health systems in general. Building upon Yale’s long-standing commitment on global health, this gathering of international health leaders is also designed to strengthen any countries’ capacity to deliver high quality healthcare for all citizens.
“We have promising approaches that can improve access to quality healthcare; though the challenge is applying these lessons in different countries and ensuring that there is leadership needed to make change,” Elizabeth Bradley (PhD), professor of public health and director of the Yale GHLI conference said.
“The conference is about gathering health officials from around the world to share experience, develop leadership and identify creative ways to solve problems that affect the everyday lives of people in these countries.”
Each delegation will work with the Yale faculty and outside experts on its specific healthcare priorities to develop action plans for implementation of solutions. The delegated officials will learn to apply strategic problem solving tools in facilitated work sessions.
Besides that, delegates will hear and share experiences from renowned leaders in global health, including Michel Kazatchkine (MD), executive director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Ariel Pablos-Mendez (MD), managing director of the Rockefeller Foundation, Richard Feachem (Sir), founder and director of the Global Health Group at UCSF and Tedros Adhanom (PhD), from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health.
Yale launched the GHLI conference in February 2009, in an effort to accelerate improvements in the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare in developing nations around the world.
The inaugural conference of the GHLI is a key component of Yale President Richard Levin’s framework for establishing a global academic institution dedicated to improving the human condition through dialogue, leadership development and strategic action. GHLI is funded by the Glaser Progress Foundation which was created in 1993, in Seattle, Washington the United States to purposely work on philanthropic arenas.
Related Posts
- Eritrea: Eritrea participates in 62nd World Health Conference
- Swine flu dominates at Ethiopia health conference
- Ethiopia: Meeting Health Sector MDGs in Focus At Annual EMA Conference
- OSU to partner with Ethiopian university, build higher education
- Malaysia to host international anti-piracy conference