The Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of Morehouse School of Medicine, Prof. Joseph Adrian Tyndall wants a renewed focus on maternal health equity in the global south.

He is worried about persistent high maternal mortality rates in these countries.

“For all who are focused on global health equity, we have to focus on outcomes. There is one outcome I think should be in focus. 

“This issue of maternal mortality is extraordinarily important. When you look at the data it is very sobering. 

“While maternal mortality rate in Europe is 1 in 11,000, areas in West and Central Africa record greater than 1,000 per 100,000 (births),” he explains.

He said this at the 6th African Conference on Emergency Medicine (AfCEM) in Accra. 

The biennial African Conference on Emergency Medicine (AfCEM) is the only scientific conference that brings together stakeholders in African emergency care from across Africa and the world. 

Previous conferences have been held in Kenya, Rwanda, Egypt and Ethiopia. The maiden conference was held in Ghana in 2012.

The 3-day conference rides on the theme: “The Role of Emergency Medicine in Achieving Universal Health Care: Research. Education. Clinical Care”

Dr. Joseph Bonney the president of African Federation for Emergency Medicine highlighted the progress of Emergency Medicine in Africa and the importance of maintaining great partnerships.

“Emergency medicine has seen growth amidst multiple challenges and many milestones have been reached. 

“The African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM), represents a broad coalition of national societies, organisations, and individuals from over 40 countries dedicated to securing high-quality emergency care across Africa,” he added