Africa-Press – Eswatini. The fourth Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) 2022-2026 has reaffirmed the strength of the relationship between the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Eswatini.
This was shared by Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosid, during the launch of the WHO five year Country Cooperation Strategy, which is aligned to WHO 13th General Programme of Work (GpW 13) at Mountain View Hotel yesterday.
Noting that it has been a long process after being interrupted by COVID-19 in 2020, Nkosi expressed joy that the strategy was completed and that they were ready to continue with the business of improving the health of the nation in line with global strategies and resolutions.
She stated that the launch advanced WHO’s long history of collaboration with the country and underscored their mutual commitment to work together towards agreed priorities of greater importance and relevance to Emaswati.
“This is as envisioned in the National Development Plan (2019-2022), the National Health Policy of 2016, the National Health Sector Strategic Plan (NHSSP 2019-2023) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Our government is committed to improving the health and well-being of people of Eswatini by providing preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services that are of high quality, relevant, accessible, affordable, equitable and socially acceptable. Eswatini also adopted SDG 3 of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages,” she said.
Nkosi also said government also recognised that improving health outcomes would be achieved through strengthening health systems towards Universal Health Coverage, addressing socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health as well as protecting people from health emergencies, leaving no-one behind.
She said the strategy further paved the way for a new level of collaboration that was strategically focused, results-oriented, and built on longstanding partnerships.
“I wish to pledge the support of the ministry of health to ensure the implementation of WHO’s fourth Country Cooperation Strategy 2022-2026 towards achieving good health and well-being for all people in the Kingdom of Eswatini,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, acting WHO Eswatini Representative Dr Geoffrey Bisoborwa highlighted that the CCS 2022-2026 was an outcome of a consultative process with inputs from the ministry of health, various agencies in the health sector and relevant stakeholders to whom we are greatly indebted.
He said the document would provide strategic direction to achieving government’s priorities.
He said it was also designed to support strengthening of health systems and services towards attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the SDGs targets.
He said the CCS 2022-2026 presented the collaborative agenda between the Kingdom of Eswatini and the three levels of WHO, which aligns with the strategic priorities of WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work (2019 – 2025), as well as Eswatini’s United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2021-2025.
“The strategic priorities for the CCS 2022-2026 emerged from a critical analysis of the health system, which identified current epidemiological and disease burden, health systems challenges, and key strategies designed to support government in the attainment of the national health goals and targets,” he said.
Dr Bisoborwa appreciated the ministry of health for cooperating with WHO from the beginning to the finalisation of the important document.
“WHO is fully committed to implementing the fourth CCS through collaborative effort and partnership with all stakeholders.
The CCS will be jointly monitored by the ministry and WHO throughout its implementation, and any adjustment will be made to respond to emerging needs. We look forward to further strengthening the partnership between WHO and Eswatini,” he said.
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