Poverty not an obstacle to healthcare in Africa: Gates

ADDIS ABABA: Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said Sunday that excellent basic healthcare that would prevent easily treatable but deadly conditions was achievable even in Africa's poorest nations.

"The good news about health is that by spending modest amounts on the prioritised areas, you can get phenomenal benefits," he told AFP on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

"You don't have to get all the way to middle-income before you can run a great primary healthcare system." The Microsoft founder mentioned interventions such as vaccines, safe delivery for mothers and the availability of antibiotic drugs as ways to drastically improve health outcomes.

Gates, whose foundation has spent around $15 billion in Africa since 2000, on Saturday took part in the launch of an initiative to increase investment -- mainly on the part of governments -- in the health sector. Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who sparked the initiative, called on African nations to put at least 15 percent of their budgets towards healthcare.