Khartoum and Juba Reach Understandings to Strengthen Health Coordination and Combat Cross-Border Epidemics

Geneva – Sudanhorizon

Sudan’s Federal Minister of Health, Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, held a meeting on Thursday with South Sudan’s Health Minister, Luke Thompson Thoan, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the World Health Assembly currently taking place in Geneva.

The meeting discussed ways to strengthen joint health cooperation between the two countries and coordinate efforts to address cross-border health challenges, particularly ongoing epidemics, foremost among them Ebola, which has appeared in several African countries. The two sides stressed the importance of information sharing and joint border cooperation.

The discussions also covered several issues of mutual concern, especially enhancing coordination in combating epidemics and cross-border diseases, as well as activating mechanisms for information exchange and early warning systems to help reduce health risks facing both countries and the wider region.

Both sides emphasized the importance of continued joint coordination amid current humanitarian and health challenges, particularly those related to population movement, displacement, and refugee flows, and the resulting increasing pressure on healthcare systems. They also stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation to ensure the continuity of essential health services.

The Sudanese health minister underscored the importance of strengthening the health partnership between Sudan and South Sudan, noting that “health knows no borders” and that coordination and information sharing are essential pillars for an effective response to regional health risks.

The two ministers renewed their commitment to continuing coordination and consultation and to developing mechanisms for health cooperation between the two countries in a way that serves the interests of both peoples and strengthens regional health security.

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