Uganda, South Sudan form joint COVID-19 committee

South Sudan and Uganda have agreed and set up a joint cross-border committee to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries. (Photo by Dennis Ojwee)

South Sudan and Uganda have agreed and set up a joint cross-border committee to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries.

This was agreed upon at a joint meeting held in Nimule town council close to the South Sudan-Uganda borders on Thursday. The meeting was funded by the EU-IGAD COVID-19 response to health and social impacts.

The meeting was attended by various leaders from both countries and also officials from the European Union (EU) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)

Dr John Pasouale Rumunu, the Director-General for Health in South Sudan, said there was an urgent need to organize an information-sharing mechanism on COVID-19 between the leaderships of South Sudan and Uganda to find a way forward on how to jointly fight the global pandemic.

“That is why we have called for and arranged this inter-cross border dialogue to foster good coordination between the two sides so that we can work together through sharing of important information and interventions on COVID-19,” said Dr Pasouale.

Dr Pasouale added that it was important for the two sides to form local COVID-19 committees to look into the health issues of locals along the borders and to set up working measures that can generate daily updates on the COVID-19 situations.

The Uganda national entry focal point-to-point officer at the health ministry, Dr Harriet Mayinja, said a joint cross-border committee will enhance public health surveillance and control measures at the local cross-border level.

“The Cross Border Committee (CBC) will also establish cross-border communications and coordination mechanisms to enable timely information-sharing at the local levels, to ensure proper environmental and health-care conditions for the populations sharing the borders,” noted Dr Mayinja.

The CBC comprises ten members from South Sudan and Uganda, who will meet monthly or often when there are matters to be addressed.