The National Ministry of Health in collaboration with line ministries and partners has launched one health coordination mechanism to help in tackling health challenges across the country.
“This platform is going to help us to tackle issues impacting our citizens, we are not inventing new wheel, we are working closely with line ministries including ministry of petroleum, environment, water and irrigation and agriculture to see and make sure we tackle health challenges,” Yolanda Awel Deng Juach, the national Minister of Health said in Juba on Monday.
She was speaking during the opening of the one health coordination platform at Radisson Blu Hotel.
The one health multi-sectorial coordination mechanism chaired by Martin Elia Lomuro, the national minister of cabinet affairs consists of the ministries of agriculture, environment, petroleum, water and irrigation and partners like the United Nations Food and Agriculture, World Health Organization (WHO) Organization (FAO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Fabian Ndenzako, the country representative for WHO said the establishment of this mechanism is a critical step, adding that the international health regulation mandates countries to be better prepared to respond to public health emergencies.
“The multi-sectorial coordination mechanism will be very powerful tool in achieving the goals, the international health regulation 2005 mandates countries to be better prepared to detect, to respond to public health threats and prevent public health emergencies and their devastating impact on the people’s well-being,” Ndenzako said.
Samuel Doe, the country representative for United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said the mechanism should work on strengthening capacity building.
“This platform ought to strengthen capacity building, no country can be able to respond to health challenges without health system, we need to look at capacity building across the country,” he said.
Doe called for strengthening the health system at community level and at the national level.
