AFD Injected €300M into the Indian Ocean Region to Enhance Universal Health Access

Since 2018, AFD reported that it has supported 43 projects in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) with the objective to promote Universal Health Access. The cumulated amount disbursed is about EUR 290 million. For 2022 alone, more than EUR 90 billion were committed for 9 projects.

The IOR consists of mostly island states with disparate capabilities in terms of health services and these to jostle with both medical and geographical challenges. The island states have to face with both Non-Communicable Diseases (#NCD) such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, as well as infectious pathologies such as malaria, COVID or #mPox.

Comoros is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) with a health system with gaps in various medical specialities. Since 2000, AFD has provided nearly EUR 25 million for the Program to Support Health System (PASCO). The program focussed mainly on OB-GYN and allowed for nearly 65,000 deliveries and 14,000 pre-natal consultations.

Through the COREG program, AFD has partnered with the Ministry of Health to finance the training of specialist doctors at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. Through close partnership with the local Ministry of Health, AFD seeks to improve #HealthAccess.

Previously, many gynecological cases require a transfer from Foumboumi to Moroni and the distance and delay are quite significant especially for a medical emergency. The availability of a gynecologist at the Foumboumi could avoid such risky transfers and even save lives.

In cooperation with the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), AFD has been supporting the SEGA One Health network since its creation in 2009. In 2020, the European Union (EU) provided nearly EUR 10 million for the SEGA program.

This regional epidemiological surveillance provide a platform for exchange of information related to infectious diseases thanks to a network of more than 300 health professionals across the region. SEGA allows regional cooperation in terms of monitoring, diagnostic, prevention and counteracting the spread of epidemics.

In the larger #IndoPacific space, AFD has also mobilized substantial resources and been active via the ECOnomic development ecosystem MOdificatins and emerging infectious diseases Risk Evaluation (ECOMORE) in the Indian OCean and the Oceanic Network for Public Health Surveillance (ROSSP) in the Pacific Ocean.

Another key initiative is the group procurement of pharmaceuticals via the SALAMA initiative. In 2023, the EU approved EUR 16 million to upgrade the supply and storage of medicines. Thus, new medical storage facilities have been built in Antananarivo and Fianarantsoa in Madagascar.

The AFD has also financed the upgrade of the hospitals in Reunion and Mayotte. AFD has provided EUR 34 million to expand the capacity of the Reunion Hospital to 310 beds. In Mayotte, AFD injected EUR 23 million towards the #eHealth project and upgrading the OB-GYN facilities.