EU-IGAD-built Nimule Health Facility. (UNOPS)

A joint program by the European Union and IGAD has built and handed over a mobile laboratory, and two screening and solation facilities in South Sudan’s Nimule and Renk border towns.

The health facilities, one in Eastern Equatoria and the other in Upper Nile, together with the mobile laboratory and different equipment, were handed over to the Ministry of Health.

The program is part of the European Union-funded EU-IGAD COVID-19 Response project supporting countries in the IGAD region to strengthen their healthcare system.

In a joint press statement, the partners said the facilities will improve healthcare for the communities in the bordering area between South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

The Isolation/Quarantine and screening facility in Nimule, which was built at a cost of 715,000 Euros (772,915 US dollars), has multiple rooms for medical personnel, examination and treatment of patients.

The facility will also provide medical care to people from the border area of Nimule and Magwi county in South Sudan, Adjumani and Elegu in Uganda.

Meanwhile, the 162,045-dollar ten-room screening and quarantine facility at Wounthou in Renk County of Upper Nile State is also intended to treat patients before referral.

It has a screening area and different auxiliary buildings adequate enough to serve the population from the border areas between Sudan and South Sudan.

Both facilities, designed and constructed within the EU-IGAD Covid-19 Response project, will be managed by the ministry of health in collaboration and health partners.

The health facilities in Nimule, Wountho and Renk Hospital were further provided with furniture and medical equipment costing 232,300 Euros (251,232 US dollars).

Ambassador Workneh Gebeyehu, the Executive Secretary of IGAD handed over the Mobile Laboratory and two facilities to the government of South Sudan in Juba on Thursday.

“With mandate from the member states, IGAD developed regional responses strategy to engage with development partners to mobilize resource to achieve the objective of the strategy,” Dr. Gebeyehu said.

“This is part of our intervention to all member states to support the effort to combat pandemic to reach out 7 million individuals as ambassador of European Union has mentioned.”

Speaking during the handover ceremony this morning, the Minister of Health Yolanda Awel said the mobile laboratory and new health facilities will strengthen the health system.

“To bring to your attention, South Sudan is among seven of the UN ‘s fragile member states. That means that a lot of work needed to be done and this work is…. going to move us like a step closer to graduating from being a fragile state.”

On his part, Ambassador Timo Olkkonen, the representative of EU said his bloc and IGAD invested about 2.5 million US dollars in the projects.

“We are talking about altogether an investment of 2.5 million dollars that we are handing over with these events here today,” he said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for Project Service, Petronella Halwiindi said the mobile laboratory and the health facilities focuses on critical cross border areas in the region.

“These health facilities in Nimule and Wounthou allocated in critical border areas, and they will contribute to addressing health emergency.”

“Additionally, this EU donated mobile laboratory is valuable to the patients in remote areas around the border crossings and will reach the most vulnerable populations in order to achieve that are medical care.”