By Staff Reporter
As he wrapped up his engagements in Davos, Switzerland where he was attending the 2022 World Economic Forum, Chakwera on Wednesday May 25, 2022 patronized the official launch of An Accord for Healthier World, a trendsetting health initiative by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc of which Malawi is one of the pioneering beneficiaries out of 45 targeted lower- income countries.
Other four beneficiaries are Rwanda, Senegal, Ghana, and Uganda.
Sharing the highlights on his facebook wall, President Chakwera said he was delighted to be part of the delegates attending the launch of the initiative and also his country being one of the few initiative’s beneficiaries.
Chakwera explained that the Accord aims to provide all of Pfizer’s patented, high quality medicines and vaccines available in the developed world to low-income countries on a non-profit basis.
He said the initiative seeks to close the glaring inequities that exist between lower-income countries like Malawi and the rest of the world
The Malawi leader highlighted that Pfizer will provide 23 medicines and vaccines that treat infectious diseases, certain cancers and inflammatory diseases.
He said ” There is also a provision that when they produce medicines and vaccines in the future, these too shall become part of the Accord”.
Chakwera said the selected beneficiaries Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Ghana and Uganda are expected to create a benchmark of the effectiveness of the program as it gradually transitions to the remaining countries.
He promised that his administration will play the rightful role of oversight and logistics to ensure that medicines and vaccines through the program are timely delivered in all marked-up outlets a cross the country’s communities.
” This Accord is the embodiment of what World Economic Forum is all about.
” We are here not for handouts but to cultivate real partnerships and create synergies that will empower us to achieve with global connections what we cannot in isolation.
” I call upon all stakeholders in the health sector to ready themselves for the roll out of this phenomenal initiative that places human progress ahead of profit,” said Chakwera.
In his keynote address on ‘ Investing in Health Equity ‘ on Tuesday May 24, 2022,Chakwera stressed the need for equitable healthcare across the globe, saying it is the only way of safeguarding the global economy from health-related disruptions nations have experienced in the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
