IGAD Ministers of Health Call for Action to Combat COVID-19

Addis ababa, April 9/2020( ENA) Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) health ministers has conducted video teleconference to discuss on the way to combat the spread of coronavirus. 

IGAD Executive Secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu on Wednesday organized a video conference for Ministers of Health of the member states to follow up on the recommendations by the IGAD Heads of State and Government Summit on COVID-19 held on March 30.

The video conference is also organized to decide on actions to be taken in a collective and collaborative manner so as to contain the spread and mitigate the impact of the virus in the region.

On the basis of the guiding principle that, ‘no country is safe until every country is safe’, the ministers discussed on the ways to operationalize the outcomes of the IGAD Summit of March 30.

These include the development of an IGAD Regional Response Strategy for COVID-19, the establishment of an Emergency Fund for COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks as well as strengthening the national response systems.

On behalf of the Minister of Health of Sudan and Chair of the IGAD Health Ministerial Committee, Dr. Akram Ali Eltom, communicated Sudan commitment to mobilise domestic resources in the struggle against the Coronavirus.

She urged the IGAD Secretariat to expedite the process of dispatching response teams across member states and to facilitate coordinated partnership.