The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat has entered a financing and project implementation agreement with the Federal Republic of Germany to establish and operationalise the East African Community Regional Network of Public Health Reference Laboratories for Communicable Diseases Project.
Under this agreement, the Federal Republic of Germany has availed 10 million Euros to enable the EAC Secretariat to obtain funds from the German Development Bank (KfW).
The aim is to strengthen sustainable structures and capacities for the rapid identification of infectious disease outbreaks within the territories of the Partner States to enable timely and effective response for the prevention of epidemics caused by various pathogens and biological agents of Biosafety Level (BSL) 3 and 4 nature.
The EAC Secretariat and the Government of Sweden through SIDA has also signed Financing agreement for a grant of USD $ 5.3M to fund components of the EAC- SIDA Integrated Health Programme (EIHP) 2016 – 2020.
The programme seeks to contribute towards elimination of preventable maternal, new-born and child deaths, AIDS and improvement of well being among women, children, adolescents and families in the East African Community.
The EAC health minister’s made the revelations on Friday November 18th 2016 during the 13th Session of the Ordinary Meeting of EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health at the Nairobi Safari Club Hotel, Kenya.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health Dr Cleopa Mailu, joined the Ministers for Health from Uganda, Burundi, United Republic of Tanzania in the meeting preceded by the Senior Officials and Principal Secretaries meeting.
Issues of the Second Joint Inspection of EAC Partner States Medical and Dental Universities, Schools and Teaching Hospitals, harmonisation of Training and Practice for Medical Laboratory Professionals and approval of the EAC Health Policy were also discussed.