Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The government and development partners have launched a multi-sectoral coordination platform to improve the health sector in the country.
Known as “One health multi-sectoral coordination platform”, the initiative aims to address a shared concern regarding Zoonotic diseases, the Ebola Virus, Cholera, and other public health threats.
The mechanism is to establish government systems at national and subnational levels to achieve better health outcomes in the country.
This is by improving the health capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats to humans and their shared environment.
Speaking during the launching ceremony in Juba yesterday, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro said the platform will enable different stakeholders to respond to health-related challenges in the country.
“We have to consider this approach as the best for us because it brings in all of us who are concerned with issues [of] health insecurity within our ecosystem. So those concerned with the environment,” Dr. Martin Elia said.
“I understand that there are a lot of diseases within our environment and those who are specialists in the Veterinary sector also [I] understand that there are a lot of diseases in that sector,
“Of course, coming together, discussing issues of health insecurity in their specific field makes it easier and more information that we can easily react to and be able to mitigate whatever health challenges that might arise.”
For her part, the Minister of Health Yolanda Awel Deng said the platform will help the government provide an inclusive response to tackle health issues impacting the citizens.
“For me as the one heading the health sector in this nation, this platform is going to help us with inclusive responses to tackle issues impacting our citizens,” said Yolanda Awel.
“Last week, I declared a cholera outbreak in Malakal, especially at the PoC, the wet season has not yet begun but we are already battling that disease and we are going to see more of it. Why is that? It is because we are not coordinating well.”
Meanwhile, the Country Representative of the World Health Organization Dr. Fabian Ndenzako says the mechanism will be a very powerful tool for achieving the goal of one health.
“I firmly believe that the multi-sectoral coordination mechanism on One Health will be a very powerful tool in achieving the goal,” said Dr. Ndenzako.
“Launching the multi-sectoral mechanism to this one health platform is really key. We are really going to see all of us converging our efforts trying to address multi-sectoral issues.”
The steering committee of the mechanism shall be chaired by the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs while its secretariat shall be handled by the Ministry of Health.
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