OPENING SPEECH BY HER EXECELLENCY,
SAMIA SULUHU HASSAN, THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA,
DURING THE 30TH ANNUAL JOINT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE HELD AT THE JULIUS
NYERERE CONVENTION CENTRE, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA, OCTOBER 4, 2016
Hon. Ummy Ally Mwalimu, Minister for Health, Community
Development, Gender, Elderly and Children,
Dr. Mwele Malecela, Director General, National Institute
for Medical Research,
Chairman of the National Institute for Medical Research
Council,
Prof. Mohammad Bakari Kambi, Chief Medical Officer,
Ministry of Health, Community development, Gender, Elderly and Children,
Representatives of International Organizations,
Conference Participants,
Representatives from the Media,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen
A VERY GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE!
It is a great honour to have the chance to say a few words
at the opening ceremony of the 30th Annual Joint Scientific
Conference of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). I would like to take this first opportunity
to welcome you all to this important conference. I would like to express my
sincere gratitude to our renowned speakers and participants who have come from
all over the world, I say “KARIBUNI SANA TANZANIA”. We are delighted to have
you with us.
I would also like to commend NIMR for holding its annual
scientific conferences successfully and consistently over the past three
decades; it is indeed something that should make all of us extremely proud. The
interest of the international scientific community in health research is
clearly reflected in the extensive preparatory work that has gone into the
conference, and at the range of expertise gathered here today. I am witnessing
first hand the enthusiasm of this community to drive efforts to promote biomedical
research and safeguard public health.
Our goals for this Conference remain the same; to (i)
promote health research for sustainable socio-economic development in Tanzania,
Sub-Saharan Africa and the world at large; (ii) share and promote uptake of
findings of health research with key stakeholders and the general public; and
(iii) discuss and explore new health research and service priority areas.
It is therefore crucial that we will continue to find ways
to make this annual event a fruitful process.
Honourable
Minister, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It brings me great pleasure to see the collection of high
value scientific research findings that guide this event. During the 3-day
conference you will have opportunity to delve into these findings directly, and
engage in meaningful discussions on crucial research across a range of
subjects. I have no doubt that you will find the selected topics interesting,
and enrich your insights on health and social well-being. This conference will provide you with
exciting environment to exchange information on current development and
deployment, potential approaches to scaling-up of innovative technologies in
health research.
Honourable
Minister, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The theme of this conference, “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: Investing in Innovative
Research to Fill the Critical Gaps”, is timely and relevant, nationally and
globally. In order to reach sustainable development, it is essential to invest
in fit-for-purpose innovative research in order to help our country to generate
answers and solutions to many public health problems and challenges.
Innovations like Takasamaji that provide safe drinking water to households is
an example where NIMR is leading the way in providing such solutions. Our
colleagues in Kisarawe and Geita can attest to this fact. What we need is for
technologies like this to scale up and reach many more people who need them.
Honourable
Minister, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Innovative research is an important and vital tool in
addressing fundamental gaps in research and policy issues. Innovative research
will provide guidance to assist policy and decision makers as well as programme
implementers to make informed evidence-based decision for the wellbeing of our
nation. The evidence based Integrated Management of Childhood illnesses is a
systems innovation that has made a major contribution to the decline in
under-five mortality. Innovative research is an important element at all stages
of development, specifically the creation and diffusion of technologies
important for economic growth and welfare across all economies.
I am glad to inform you that the National Institute for
Medical Research has been conducting numerous innovative research programmes
focusing mainly on addressing public health problems. The research efforts have
covered communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and health systems.
Some of the research programmes have yielded interesting results which have
been adopted in various interventions. A
case in point is exemplified by Mwanza in the early 1990’s, where Sexually
Transmitted Infections where on the rise and diagnosis was costly and time
consuming. The NIMR team developed the syndromic management of STI’s. The story
of insecticide treated nets has its humble origins in the experimental huts in
Zeneti village in Muheza, where the original proof of concept work was done.
Today we sleep under nets without a second thought that is was someone’s hard work
and perseverance that led to this breakthrough. I would like to commend NIMR
for this work and to urge them to continue to focus on research that addresses
the needs of our country.
Honourable
Minister, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sustainable development goals (SDGs) is an ambitious new
development agenda that calls for all governments – by 2030 – to end extreme
poverty and hunger, achieve gender equality, reduce domestic inequality,
improve health and education, combat climate change, make production and
consumption sustainable, preserve our nature resources and ensure peaceful
societies, among many other areas.
The agenda is an intergovernmental set of 17 aspiration
goals and 169 targets. Sustainable
development goals can be achieved by dedicating ourselves to innovative health
research approaches across all the sustainable development goals. This will not
only end poverty but also bring dramatic improvements in quality of life, the
environment and governance for everyone to ensure healthy lives and promote
well-being for all.
Moreover, the concept of Sustainable Development is based
on a set of requirements. It must allow for the basic needs of present and
future generations to be fulfilled with regard to demographic challenges, such
as: access to safe water, quality education, improved health, employment, and
the fight against hunger or malnutrition. The over-arching aim of the goals is
to improve quality of life, which involves improved access to medical care,
social services, culture, and therefore, social well-being. In addition,
respect for rights and freedoms and the promotion of new forms of renewable
energy such as wind, solar, and geothermal power, are important aspects of
sustainable development. With 45% of Tanzanians being under the age of 15,
investments in family planning, education, health, industrialisation and good
governance are crucial to harnessing the demographic dividend for
socio-economic transformation. It is in this context that research becomes a
cornerstone for this transformation and I urge you at NIMR whose focus is
better health for all Tanzanians through research to take this mantra to heart
as we address the SDGs.
Honourable
Minister, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is time that our research institutions plan and adopt
highly innovative approaches to major contemporary challenges in biomedical
research, health systems and social determinants of health. However we must be
guided by our priorities and needs while carrying out world-class science. I
argue that the two are not mutually exclusive and we must not be made to feel
that working on our priority issues undermines our scientific credibility. My
government is keen to continue supporting the design, development and
deployment of innovative scientific technology to accelerate the translation of
research into improved health. Such programmes should allow researchers to
propose highly creative research projects across a broad range of biomedical
fields of research. These may involve inherent risks, but have the potential to
lead to meaningful breakthroughs. All research institutions should encourage
creative thinkers to pursue exciting and innovative ideas about biomedical,
health systems and social research.
Promoting innovative research is equally important to
promoting cross-cutting, interdisciplinary approaches researchers. The day of
the single lone researcher working on a discovery is long gone. Today consortia
are what drive science, groups of people working with a common goal. I would like
to cite the Tanzanian genome network working on different aspects of genomics
from different institutions but coming up with transformational solutions for
the development of our country.
It is important that your research aligns with the stated
goals of the SDGs. It is clear that the challenges of development are
multi-sectoral. The new agenda acknowledges that different sectors must take
steps within their means to reduce poverty and inequality, improve health and
education outcomes, create more jobs, make infrastructure more sustainable and
take better care of our nation. Unfortunately, Tanzania has yet to establish a
robust framework for intersectoral assessment and planning (especially between
health and relevant non-health sectors). Lessons elsewhere in places such as
Finland and Mexico in the fight against Non Communicable Diseases show that
cross-sector integration in health planning and management is cost-effective
and sustainable. I would like to urge those of you present to day to innovatively
engage in developing best practices to generate evidence that would support
“health in all policies” strategies in addressing the SDGs.
Honourable
Minister, Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have seen for my self the array of sponsors who have
committed both financially, in time and in kind to make this conference a
success. Let me join the Director General in thanking you for this support. We
recognize your efforts and hope that you will continue to support health
research as one of your CSR activities. I am informed that NIMR houses a
Research Trust Fund which supports research in priority areas in health, and
that since its inception in 1996 it has been source of small explatory and
proof of concept studies of relevance to our country. My plea to you sponsors
today is to see how you can support this fund so that we can fund research that
focuses on our own priorities. I am encouraged that there will be a session to
look at new models of funding health research during this conference. I urge
you especially those from the private sector to bring your voice to this
discussion so that we can come up with sustainable models with strong local
input to fund research.
Honourable
Minister, Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen
Last but not least I would like to take this opportunity
to congratulate NIMR on the organization of this promising conference. I would
also like to congratulate the NIMR Management for a job well-done thank you for
your continuing commitment to health research in the country. Let me assure you
that my government is keen to support the conduct of quality innovative
research in Tanzania and I look forward to receiving evidence-based
recommendations from this conference for implementation purposes.
It is now my pleasure to declare the 30th AJSC
officially open. With that I wish you all a very successful and fruitful
meeting. I also wish you a pleasant stay in the beautiful city of Dar es
Salaam. Please, take time to visit our beautiful National Parks, Conservation
Areas, Game Reserves as well as attractive historical sites in Zanzibar and
Bagamoyo.
God bless Africa, God bless Tanzania, God bless NIMR
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION. ENJOY THE CONFERENCE.
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