Dr. Harriet Pasquela, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Health, speaking at the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Partnership Global Meeting in Lyon, France, held from December 11 to 13, 2024. - Courtesy of MOH

The Undersecretary in the Ministry of Health has called for strengthened disease surveillance and community health systems to address the country’s significant health challenges.

Speaking at the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Partnership Global Meeting in Lyon, France, from December 11 to 13, 2024, Dr Harriet Pasquela urged health leaders from 120 WHO member states to prioritize resilience in health systems.

The meeting, which brought together representatives from several countries, provided a platform to exchange experiences, challenges, and successes in advancing the UHC agenda.

“The main objective of this meeting was to track progress against universal health coverage in countries,” Dr. Pasquela explained.

“In this meeting, we had the opportunity to listen to other countries’ experiences and challenges, and to learn how other countries were able to move the agenda of universal health coverage forward.”

She represented South Sudan in a panel discussion on how countries can strengthen their health systems, where she outlined the efforts and challenges faced by her nation.

In a statement shared with Eye Radio, Dr. Pasquela highlighted several obstacles hindering South Sudan’s health sector, including the underdeveloped infrastructure, frequent disease outbreaks, economic difficulties, and the impacts of climate change.

She stressed the importance of investing in disease surveillance mechanisms and strengthening community-based health initiatives as part of efforts to build a resilient and responsive health system.

“We must prioritize disease surveillance and ensure that our community health systems are robust enough to withstand future challenges,” Dr. Pasquela said. “These measures are vital for ensuring that we can respond effectively to health threats and achieve universal health coverage in South Sudan.”

Dr Pasquela took the opportunity to share South Sudan’s experience, particularly highlighting the country’s efforts in building resilient health systems.

“I was able to share my experience and the experience of South Sudan on how we were able to build our resilient systems for health,” she said.

A significant part of South Sudan’s strategy includes strong leadership and coordination, which Dr. Pasquela emphasized as essential for the effective operation of health systems.

“The importance of strong leadership and coordination is crucial to ensure that we have a resilient system for health,” she added.

South Sudan’s integrated disease surveillance and response platform, which helps in the early detection and management of disease outbreaks, was also a key point of discussion.

“We have been able to implement an integrated disease surveillance and response platform that is critical for early detection and rapid response to disease outbreaks,” Dr. Pasquela said.

The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen South Sudan’s commitment to achieving universal health coverage, with a focus on resilience, leadership, and timely responses to health crises.

The exchange of knowledge and insights from other countries is expected to support South Sudan’s ongoing health system development efforts as the country continues to build a stronger foundation for public health.