Calling for increased investment in health research and development Context and Landscape of Health R&D in SA We, the South African Health Technologies Advocacy Coalition (SAHTAC), a civil- society coalition which advocates for an enabling environment for health research and development, recognises that, the South African government has demonstrated its commitment to the Health Research...
INTRODUCTION Recognising the potential of advocacy to impact South Africa’s innovation system, a group of non-governmental organisations launched the South African Health Technologies Coalition (SAHTAC) in 2016. Through coordinated advocacy, SAHTAC is underscoring the importance of increasing access to lifesaving technologies across the spectrum. SAHTAC is enabling all member organisations to achieve mutually shared goals...
SAHTAC held its first quarterly meeting webinar on Wednesday 31 May 2023. The first guest speaker Elroy Paulus, Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) Board Member and Treasurer challenged the coalition to strengthen its advocacy agenda and make it clear in terms of what it aims to achieve and who the target audience is. He shared on...
In commemoration of the HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) 2023, IAVI, via the ADVANCE program, partnered with SAHTAC and The Aurum institute, to host the inaugural regional HVAD conference at the Birchwood Hotel & Or Tambo Conference Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 30, 2023. Drawing 131 participants, both in person and online, the...
By Dr Githinji Gitahi, Aggrey Aluso, Dr Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda, Prof Geoffrey Setswe, Dr Simon Agwale Africa needs a strong and sustainable local manufacturing industry for medical supplies and tools. This would strengthen global health security and ensure access to life-saving health products on the continent, while also reducing reliance on other regions in times of...
The South African Health Technologies Advocacy Coalition (SAHTAC) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 16 and 17 February 2023 at the Cresta Grande Hotel in Cape Town. There were 28 coalition members that attended in person. The guest speaker, Prof Mushi Matjila Professor, Head Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Cape...
SAHTAC, the Coalition for Health Research and Development (CHReaD) and Pandemic Action Network (PAN) jointly hosted an official side event during the second International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Kigali, Rwanda. The event was titled, Expanding local and regional production of medical countermeasures in Africa. The event was held at the Kigali...
The second National Health Research Strategy Priority Framework webinar was held on the 25th of November 2022. This was a build-up session from the first one which was held only with the coalition members and other advocacy groups on the 19th of October 2022. This was aimed at increasing their understanding of NHRSPF. In this...
Our health systems endured a heavy – often invisible – cost during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the country was focused on the battle against this pandemic, long-fought gains against other infectious diseases were being rolled back. And none more so than with tuberculosis. The Lancet notes that South Africa has one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) burdens...
SAHTAC was invited to attend the Second SAMRC Sub-Saharan Africa Funders Forum. SAHTAC was represented by John Mdluli from the secretariate. The forum brought together Not-for-Profits, Philanthropies, Development Banks and government departments from around the continent and the globe. The meeting was held in Cape Town on 20 to 22 November 2022. The aim of...