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The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Health Education and Promotion Professionals Association and partners, is holding the third National Social and Behavioural Change Conference under the theme "Social and Behavioural Change Activities for Sustainable Health Development" in Addis Abba, where more than 400 participants including experts from 13 international countries attended.
According to the Minister of Health, Dr. Makdes Daba, who attended and spoke at this important meeting of national importance, Ethiopia has made significant improvements in various health sectors in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals. These achievements were achieved through the implementation of a single social and behavioural change. A social and behavioural change program is a key tool for disease prevention and effectiveness for the health system as a whole. It is also an important strategy in all programs to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. She also stated that the Ministry of Health is committed to achieving results in the health sector by implementing the Social Change Program.
On the other hand, in order to bring social and behavioural change as a country in the health sector, the Honourable Minister pointed out that the Ministry of Health has prepared a five-year strategic plan, paying attention to the success of social behaviour change in different languages, various platforms, telephone lines, and weekly radio and television programs to address the challenges of behavioural change in our society.
Dr. Guda Alemayheu, Head of Social and Behavioural Change at USAID, who made a prayer of conscience regarding the death of Dr. Benjamin Lozare, who contributed greatly to the international programs of the Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication, said, "We believe that healthy people are effective; He said that if they work hard, they will contribute to the sustainable development of the country.
The President of the Ethiopian Health Education and Promotion Professionals Association, Dr. Eshetu Girma, said that the main purpose of the conference is to learn from each other and learn from each other.
Dr. Eshetu added that social and behavioural change communication plays an important role in creating a society that asks about and knows about health, and said that our country, Ethiopia, has shown the results of using social and behavioral change to prevent the global epidemic of COVID-19, including HIV.
Public Relations and Health Communication Executive of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tegene Regassa said; the conference is being held for the third time in our country, this year. He recalled that the first international conference was held in Addis Ababa in 2016. He also pointed out that the major issues of social and behavioural change were raised in the conferences.
The ministry focuses on disease prevention; for the society to protect its health; that it is necessary to regularly give awareness activities in an intensive form so that they can produce their own health; Dr. Tegene said that the participation of stakeholders will play a big role in this.
At this conference, USAID Deputy Mission Director Eleanor Tanpn Ko? The Deputy Head of UNICEF/Ethiopia, Mariko Kagoshima, made a speech and government institutions, social and behaviour change experts, professional associations, partner organizations, research institutions, the private health sector and other stakeholders are participating in conference.
In the conference, recognition was given to individuals and institutions who contributed greatly to health, social and behavioural change.