Yesterday, the parliamentary dialogue on the state of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and community engagement: what role for parliament? was held at the National Assembly.

According to the Director General of the Senegalese Agency for Universal Health Coverage (Sen-Csu), El Hadji Séga Guèye, this meeting aims to develop a partnership framework between the executive and legislative branches in order to support the reforms undertaken in the sector.

"We are in a dynamic of change and it is important that the Health Commission takes ownership of these developments, particularly with regard to institutional rules and laws necessary to support this transformation," he argued.

Even better, he spoke about the importance of supporting parliamentarians to overcome certain institutional obstacles, particularly regarding resource mobilization. "Without the support of the Health Committee to bring these issues to the institutional level, it will be difficult to move forward," he stressed.

The objective is in particular to mobilize other mechanisms, including corporate social responsibility (CSR), which requires the implementation of an appropriate organizational and legal framework.

Secretary General of the Health Commission Boye Babi welcomed the importance of this initiative which enabled parliamentarians to better understand the issues of Universal Health Coverage.

"This workshop allowed us, as parliamentarians, to shed light on the important work carried out by the CMU in the field of health," said the MP.

She affirmed the parliamentarians' commitment to supporting this public policy. "We are committed to advocating at the National Assembly level so that the challenges facing the CSU can be overcome, particularly in terms of financing and budget," she assured.

For his part, the director of programs at the NGO IBP, Djibril Badiane, recalled that his organization supports the governments of Francophone Africa in the implementation of public policies.

“After organizing parliamentary dialogues in the water, sanitation, and education sectors, we felt it was important to open this discussion on Universal Health Coverage,” he stated. He reiterated that the objective is to enable parliamentarians, as representatives of the citizens, to better understand the issues related to UHC and to support the reforms necessary to guarantee equitable access to healthcare, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.