(May 18, 2017) Kassala, Sudan city and capital of the homonymous state, located near the border with Eritrea, hosted the seminar titled "Strengthening Sudan Health System - 2014-2017 Experience" on May 14 and 15. With the appointment in Kassala, the activities of the first Delegated Cooperation Program - Promoting Quality Health Services in Eastern Sudan - PQHS, entrusted to Italy by the European Union in 2014 - amounted to 8.6 million euros. The aim of the meeting is to present successes and criticalities on the three pillars of the program: improving accessibility and quality of health services, human resources development. Key elements for strengthening the national health system in Sudan. The project, designed to identify priorities and health needs, in close collaboration with the Ministries of Health of the three states of Eastern Sudan, has led to the training of health professionals, the construction and rehabilitation of health centers, of the drug distribution system, which are key aspects to ensure universal access to health in the African country. Good dialogue with the Sudanese authorities favored the creation of a common path, witnessed during the seminar by the numerous awards for the work of Italian Cooperation. The lessons learned, characterized by the cultural and social differences of the three target states of the program, reflected in a meeting and constructive dialogue that laid the foundations for the next three years funded by the European Union and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, for a total amount of 28 million Euros. Italy is in fact present with much of the healthcare cooperation initiatives in the Eastern States since the signing of the Peace Treaties of 2006. These areas are still among the poorest and most in need of help In view of the ever-growing migratory flow, coming from the Horn of Africa, which directly invests the East Sudan States. (Red)

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Local counterparts took part in the meeting, including a delegation from the Federal Ministry of Health with eight directors, United Nations agencies involved in the health sector (Who, Unicef, Undp, Unops, WfP), the Kassala State Health Minister and the General Directors of the state health ministries involved in the Red Sea-Kassala-Gedaref initiative, the departments of the ministries involved in the implementation of the program, a delegation from the European Union in Sudan and the Agency Italian for Italian Development Cooperation.