Hepatitis outreach program
GFDLP Hepatitis Outreach Program
According to the preamble of the 1946 constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO), health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The preamble also states that health is “the enjoyment of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, and political belief, economic or social condition.” In summary, the right to health is the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, rather than an unconditional right to be healthy.
According to the WHO Right to Health Fact Sheet No. 31, the Right to Health is not just about access to health care and the building of hospitals. It includes a wide range of factors as stated by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, namely: safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, safe food, adequate nutrition and housing, healthy working and environmental conditions, health-related education and information, and gender equality.
It is now safe to state that Global Health Security is a fundamental human right. Transnational Health threats, especially at our borders, requires collective global health governance, it requires global leadership through the collaboration of businesses, philanthropy, civil society, and governments.
Global partnerships are vital to the purchase of health-related goods and services such as vaccines and cost-effective drugs. The international community is therefore called upon to respond positively to the needs of states that are directly responsible for the economic and social wellbeing of their people.
GFDLP’s current fight against the spread of viral hepatitis at inaccessible ports and points of entry most especially in rural communities is a win-win for the Cameroonian people and a call for assistance from the Government, businesses, and the international community. GFDLP Hepatitis Outreach Program also includes the fight against co-infections (HIV/Hepatitis) viruses through screening, vaccination, and referral for treatment.
Our goal is to reduce the spread of viral hepatitis in the Southwest Region of Cameroon by 80% by the year 2035. This vision is in line with the World Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, 2016-2021, the WHO Regional Committee for Africa; Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis in the African Region: Framework for Action 2016/2020, and the Global Strategy of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.