One of the obstacles to improving health services for African countries is the lack of scientists and the lack of meaningful medical research on the continent, experts say.
The organization hopes to change that by enabling researchers and policy makers in three major African countries to conduct comprehensive and relevant research.
According to a 2017 report by the World Economic Forum, Africa is home to 15% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s burden of disease – but produces only 2% of the world’s medical research.
The report said that of the medical research that is taking place, most of it fails to identify diseases or health problems that greatly affect Africans.
A group of African health researchers and institutions are now pushing for the continent’s medical research to focus more on the continent’s own medical problems.
The African Population and Health Research Center brings together scientists, academics, policy makers and government officials from Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria.
Their mission is to strengthen Africa’s leadership in research and development, ensuring that findings from these researchers are relevant and accessible to decision makers, leading to better health care systems across the board. and continent.
Catherine Kyobutungi, head of the organization, said African-led research could help solve the continent’s health problems more easily and quickly.
“If we want research to be done by Africans on African issues, that is [how] the priorities of what research should be done are defined, not only by academics, but by people who will use that research to make decisions,” he said.
“What we are trying to achieve is to change what research is and what it is and create an army of African scientists who do research to solve Africa’s problems in real time, not years later. 50,” Kyobutungi said.
Dr. Hadiza Galadanci, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Bayero University in Nigeria, said her country has about 28% of maternal deaths worldwide every year.
He and researchers from four African countries, the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and the World Health Organization published research on the best way to save women who were dying of bleeding after childbirth, or excessive bleeding after childbirth. Their invention – a measured delivery cloth, which is placed under the mother in labor – allows doctors to collect and accurately measure the loss of blood and fluid.
“The drape is just put under the… the woman is going to give birth. And then, once she gives birth, any blood that comes out goes into the drape. So, we have an objective test, “Galadanci explained, saying that this method allows for more specific treatment.
“When we did this, we found that we could reduce the rate of obesity [postpartum hemorrhage] leading to 60% maternal mortality.
African researchers face challenges ranging from lack of reliable data and funding to poor infrastructure to cultural and religious issues.
With the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Africa Research Connect was developed to connect and strengthen the visibility of scientists, organizations, policy makers and donors.
Jude Igumbor, an assistant professor at the Wits School of Public Health in South Africa, wants to improve the visibility of African scientists and their work.
“What we are giving African scientists is that they can find each other for collaboration,” he said.
The African Population and Health Research Center is calling on donors to support African institutions and researchers directly rather than through other organizations, saying that doing so will help fund the creation of opportunities and sharpen the skills of researchers on the continent. .
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