FCDC Sector Forum for Health launched

On 7 August 2018, FCDC in collaboration with Global Health Strategies (GHS) brought together leaders from the 10 FCDC member counties, representatives from the Ministry of Health, UN agencies and the private sector to discuss the state of health in the Frontier Counties and deliberate the merit of establishing a regional Sector Forum for Health.

Specific objectives included:

Discuss the most pressing health priorities in the Frontier Counties, including maternal and perinatal health, and sensitize the leaders in the frontier counties on the importance of increasing access to and improving quality of health care services;

Chart a way forward for the Frontier Counties on health issues, including by signing the Memorandum of Understanding to endorse the formation of a regional platform for collaboration.

The meeting brought together several high-level attendees including the County Governor of Isiolo, representatives from the Ministry of Health, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Huawei, researchers from the Preterm Birth Initiative East Africa, and health leaders from the nine FCDC Counties.

The morning and midmorning sessions, which served to set the stage for the day’s discussions, began with high-level keynotes that emphasized the importance of focusing on quality of maternal and perinatal health and transitioned into two panels featuring technical experts and county leadership. The panels focused on the need to strengthen primary health care and deliver quality maternal and perinatal health care in the Frontier Counties.

The Sector Forum for Health, constituted by the County Executive Committee (CEC) members of the FCDC Counties, will act as the engine to drive regional collaboration, lessons sharing and policy coordination around key health priorities in the region.

Author

maryan

Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC)