ACCRA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday urged African leaders to adopt transformative approaches to addressing the continent's myriad health challenges.
Speaking at the presidential meeting of the 25th Extraordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, Mahama said the continent needs to move beyond traditional approaches to healthcare delivery to solve the health challenges confronting its people.
According to the Ghanaian president, Africa has positive evidence to demonstrate that its collective actions on health issues continue to yield success.
Although the continent is still home to two-thirds of the roughly 40 million people living with HIV worldwide, Mahama said that the more encouraging fact is that AIDS-related deaths in Africa have fallen by nearly three-quarters since their peak.
He added that even though 17 of the world's 30 highest tuberculosis-burdened countries remain in Africa, the incidence has fallen by 28 percent and deaths by 46 percent in less than one decade.
Mahama said the time is now for the continent to redouble its efforts to protect Africans from the effects of persistent health challenges.
"For example, more than 90 million of our people live with chronic hepatitis B or C, most of them undiagnosed. Neglected tropical diseases still blind the figure and stigmatize our people," Mahama said, urging that commitments at this session of the AU Assembly result in tangible actions and measurable solutions.
