Khartoum, Sudan, 2 August 2018 – The Federal Ministry of Health, with support from WHO today concluded a 3-day workshop on accountability assessment of the health system and services for members of the accountability assessment taskforce.

The workshop marked the participation of 50 professional from the Federal and State ministries of health, in addition to representatives of key stakeholders including legislative and judicial authorities. 

The training activity focused on key components like the concept of governance for the health service delivery network, the supply chain of medical products, policy development, and regulatory oversight.

“WHO is working together with its health partners and stakeholders to support the Federal Ministry of Health in its goal to strengthen the coordination and integration of health service delivery in Sudan,” said Dr Naeema Al Gasseer, WHO Representative in Sudan. 

“The strategic policy framework requires shared policy-making. It is a collective, not individual responsibility and the support of partners and stakeholders is key to creating sustainability of effective policy planning and implementation,” said Dr Isameldine Abdulla, Under Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health. 

The workshop leveraged on the collective unique experience of the diverse members of the task force representing different sectors to develop further understanding of the Sudanese health system. 

The task force will be supported by WHO to conduct an in-depth assessment to identify strengths and gaps of the accountability in Sudan’s health system based on a plan of action addressing the identified gaps.   

Accountability is an essential global tool for improving health system performance, mainly through the reduction of abuse, assuring compliance with procedures and standards, and improving performance and learning to ensure the provision of value for more quality services to all people. 

The accountability lens is to generate a system-wide perspective on health sector reform, identify connections among sector health improvement interventions, and reveal gaps requiring policy attention for better health. 

WHO’s support to the development of accountability framework to advance towards universal health coverage in Sudan is a result of the generous contributions from the Government of Japan, Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance and the European Commission.