Welcome to AfDHI
The 21st Century is the African renaissance and time to deeply reflect on our history and take part in rebuilding Africa from colonial basterdization. One area of need is the building of a sustainable health system comparable to the most functional health systems in the world. Given our abundant natural and diverse human resources, we should be able to build a health system that restores African dignity and stolen glory. Together, we can be players in the fulfillment of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and vision of an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena.
Thus, Africa should rely on her health workforce capacity on the continent and in the diaspora to develop her health sector instead of relying on foreign nations for aid and policy formulations.
The time has come for Black people in Africa and in every part of the globe to join the vanguard to improve health access in Africa. Africa needs the human capital from the diaspora working with those on the continent to strengthen her health systems and respond to all health needs including pandemics. We, Africans, should be the first responders in any health emergencies occurring in Africa. It is our responsibility to build an Africa continent where we will be unique, free, happy and prosperous.
Africa is still colonized when it depends on external aid for issues of healthcare or needs external approval to embark on health policies or issues peculiar to Africa. Africans all over the world have suffered health injustices and experienced disparities in health access simply because the guiding principles of their health systems, health deliveries, and policies are not solely determined by African health professionals. It is a known fact that health systems in most African regions are dysfunctional, have poor infrastructure, lack adequate and skilled manpower, poorly managed and have consistently resulted in poor health outcomes for the people. This should not continue when African health professionals resolve to take an active part in ensuring better health outcomes for all Africans on the continent and other Black inhabited regions.
As we know, our motherland, Africa, is facing a serious health crisis. It has been faced with the double burden of infectious and chronic non- communicable diseases, and now is being confronted with a new crisis of emerging infectious diseases and pandemics. Political instabilities on the continent have resulted in a continuous migration of health professionals leading to the brain drain of highly skilled experts. While western economies have depended on and benefited from Africa’s natural resources for their development including healthcare, Africa has unfortunately not benefited as much from them. Therefore, for the continent to get the full benefit of her natural resources, she has to rely on African human capacity as a resource to strengthen her economic and political system as well develop an effective health system.
It is in this respect that the idea of the African Diaspora Healthcare Initiative (AfDHI) was conceived to support, develop, lead and implement a sustainable health delivery plan for Africa. AfDHI envisions synergistic relationships with health professionals, government, non-governmental organizations, and investors on the continent and in the diaspora to improve health delivery systems in Africa. AfDHI represents a vision of health professionals, administrators, investors, researchers, and technologists etc., to fully participate in promoting African health justice and equity through effective health system and healthcare delivery.
I appeal to you as friends and colleagues to join our team to save people from death and preventable causes. Join us to transform the health system in Africa and change the narrative that Africa is a continent of diseases, poverty and miseries. Be part of our team in our resolve to establish a specialty database of African health professionals; respond to health emergencies; and improve maternal and child health. Join us to promote technology in healthcare delivery, improve access to care; support manpower development and exchange of best practices in healthcare within the continent as well as save costs from health tourism from the continent.
Please think of Africa, act African, and serve Africa. You will be happy that you did!
Raymond O. Chimezie, PhD., MA.Ed., CHES®, FRSPH.
U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Sub-Saharan Africa &
President, African Diaspora Healthcare Initiative