EAC health ministers approve cross-border health strategy

May 15, 2024

Meeting during the 24th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health, they agreed that the 6-year EAC Cross-Border Health Advocacy and Communication Strategy (2024-2030) will facilitate faster domestication and implementation of health directives

Mary Karugaba
Journalist @New Vision

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Health ministers from the East African Community states have approved a common health strategy that will enhance the effectiveness of health programmes within member states.

Meeting during the 24th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the ministers agreed that the 6-year EAC Cross-Border Health Advocacy and Communication Strategy (2024-2030) will facilitate faster domestication and implementation of health directives, policies and programmes within partner states.

“The strategy is expected to play a critical role in increasing the level of advocacy and communication, and in promoting visibility and rallying the commitment of policy and decision-makers at the Partner States’ level to implement cross border health programmes. The strategy will also support strengthening and leveraging partnerships at national, regional and global levels for improved accountability and transparency by stakeholders,” a statement issued by the EAC secretariat indicates.

The meeting was attended by Hanifa Kawooya Bangirana, Minister of State for Health, Uganda, Ummy Mwalimu, Minister of Health, Tanzania; Dr Lydwine Baradahana, Minister of Public Health and Fight Against AIDS, Burundi and Yvan Butera, Minister of State for Health, Rwanda.

Others were Magodde Ikuya, Minister of State for EAC Affairs, Uganda and Mary Muthoni Muriuki, the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health Kenya, representing the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Kenya.

During discussion, the ministerial session said the regional strategy should be used by the partner states and the Secretariat to increase awareness and support the implementation of the decisions and directives of the Sectoral Council.

The Sectoral Council also directed that the EAC Secretariat work with partner states and ensure that the strategy, among other things, focuses on the execution of directives through enhancing awareness, information sharing and knowledge dissemination of the directives and policies from the EAC health sector to partner states health policymakers, and increasing access to health services among target populations.

During the meeting, the Council also considered other progress reports on the implementation of the previous decision of the Sectoral Council and provided guidance and directives.

On the EAC Regional Health Scorecard, the EAC Secretariat informed the Sectoral Council that the Secretariat in collaboration with partner states had developed the 6th EAC Regional Health Scorecard in digital form as an innovative tool for communicating and monitoring the status of progress to implementers, stakeholders, and decision-makers in the region.

The ministers also approved the digital version of the 6th EAC Regional Health Scorecard for tracking regional progress on implementing global and regional commitments against agreed-upon indicators and directed the Secretariat to mobilise resources to support the Partner States' digitalisation of National Health Scorecards and build data governance/use and digital innovation capacity. 

On the EAC Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Strategic Framework 2024-2030, the EAC Secretariat informed the Sectoral Council that the EAC partner states together with the Secretariat developed the EAC Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Strategic Framework 2024-2030, in line with previous directives of the Sectoral Council respectively. The goal of the framework is to reduce the premature mortality due to NCDs by 20%, in the region by 2030.

The Sectoral Council also directed the Secretariat and Partner States to mobilise resources to disseminate the EAC Regional Strategic Framework for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (2024-2030) and track its implementation.

“On institutionalising the One Health approach in the EAC Secretariat / EAC One Health Coordination Office, the Secretariat informed the sectoral council that is in the process of establishing a One Health Coordination Office to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration, especially between human health, animal health/agriculture, wildlife and environmental sectors within the Secretariat, as well as with the EAC Partner States,” the statement reads.

The Sectoral Council further resolved that the EAC Secretariat should mobilise resources and recruit a Senior One Health Expert to coordinate the One Health Unit.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, informed the meeting that the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the partner states has been working tirelessly to implement the directives of the Sectoral Council within the available resources and capacity.

Ariik highlighted key achievements including the development of the EAC Health Sector Strategic Plan 2024-2030, strengthening surveillance, detection of health threats and mobilisation of additional resources that will help in sustaining flagship programmes among others.

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