ARUSHA: A TANZANIAN legislator, Dr Zeyana Hamid, has called for stronger parliamentary action and sustainable domestic financing to improve health systems and accelerate efforts to reduce maternal mortality across Africa.
She made the call in Arusha on Friday during the 153rd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-153).
Dr Hamid, Vice-Chairperson of the Tanzania Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and HIV/AIDS, said governments and legislators must take a leading role in ensuring adequate funding for health services and equitable access for all citizens.
She said the growing burden of pandemics, noncommunicable diseases and ageing populations required countries to rethink traditional health financing models and adopt sustainable approaches capable of addressing emerging health challenges.
“Health is a human right, and the financial mechanisms we have relied on for so long are no longer working,” she said.
Dr Hamid stressed that sustainable health systems financed through domestic resources were essential to sustaining progress in reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal health outcomes across the continent.
She noted that although African countries had made progress through partnerships aimed at improving maternal health, accelerating these achievements would require stronger political commitment and increased investment in health services.
She warned that disruptions to health services could reverse gains made in the sector if governments and parliaments fail to take decisive action.
Dr Hamid said parliamentarians had an important responsibility to translate international health commitments into practical interventions at national and community levels.
She cited her participation in the launch of a parliamentary forum in Geneva as an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration among legislators and build on previous agreements aimed at promoting a healthier planet.
Reflecting on the discussions, she said international agreements and instruments were important, but their effectiveness depended on strong parliamentary unity and coordinated action.
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“Without strong complementary parliamentary unity and action, the instruments themselves will suffer,” she said.
She explained that parliamentarians needed effective frameworks to help them connect global health commitments with national priorities and local interventions.
According to the MP, such frameworks would enable parliamentary health committees to monitor and evaluate legislation, assess budgetary priorities and strengthen coordination with stakeholders in the health sector.
She added that parliaments must ensure that health policies and budgets respond to the needs of their populations, particularly women and vulnerable groups who depend on accessible and reliable health services.
Dr Hamid called for closer cooperation between parliamentarians and health-sector stakeholders to develop practical approaches that would strengthen accountability, improve resource allocation and ensure that health commitments translate into measurable results.
She stressed that sustained parliamentary engagement would be crucial in protecting progress in maternal health and building resilient health systems capable of responding to current and future challenges.