KIGALI - Ministers of Health from the East African Community (EAC) member states met in Bujumbura where they discussed how to address challenges to efficient health service delivery.

During the forum, Dr. Sabine Ntakarutimana, Burundi’s Minister for Public Health, who is also the Chairperson of the Sectoral Council on Health, called for improvement in information sharing in the health sector among partner states

Dr. Richard Sezibera, Rwanda’s Health Minister, observed that for a region whose countries face identical health issues, a regional response was the way forward.

"Changing lifestyles in the region are forcing us to confront Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and the region needs to act on this challenge    now,” Sezibera said.
 
Dr. Lucy S. Nkya the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Welfare for Tanzania, asserted that integration cannot be achieved without the health of the people and decried the emergence of NCDs in the region as a challenge and threat to already overwhelmed people’s health systems.

The EAC Council of Ministers considered progress reports on the implementation of various EAC Regional Health Sector Projects and Programmes.

The meeting also discussed harmonization and strengthening of EAC health systems, services and standards; and regional cooperation on health research, policy and practice.

Ends