Khartoum: The Undersecretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, has reviewed the outcomes of the African Union-East African Sector meeting on national health security. The Undersecretary underscored Sudan’s active role in the outcomes of the meeting and the adoption of the joint agreement. He emphasized the importance of establishing an integrated emergency center to combat epidemics in Sudan, as part of the country’s commitment to enhancing health security at the regional level.
According to Sudan News Agency, this came during a meeting held in his office on Saturday with the Director General of Health Emergencies and Epidemic Control, Dr. Montaser Mohamed Osman, who represented Sudan at the meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Eastern Sector of the African Union, held in Djibouti during June 15-16, and the meeting of the Steering Committee of Health Ministers of the Eastern Sector of the African Union, with the participation of 12 out of 14 countries.
Dr. Montaser reviewed the outcomes of the technical meeting, which addressed the activities of the Regional Center for Epidemic Prevention and Control. He discussed health challenges, including cholera and dengue fever. He stressed the importance of unifying efforts and providing equitable support to affected countries, especially in light of the recommendation to increase health sector allocations to 15% of gross national income, a level only three countries in Africa have reached so far, the first being Rwanda.
The meeting also recommended supporting the health situation in Sudan, particularly with regard to building health facilities and establishing a National Center for Health Emergencies. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health praised the paper presented by Dr. Montaser on the mechanisms for implementing the African Heads of State Initiative to Eradicate Cholera, asserting the need to develop effective national strategies to combat epidemics.
It is to be recalled that Sudan, represented by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, has officially signed its commitment to supporting the health security of East African countries, a move that reflects the country’s interest in achieving regional integration in the field of public health.