Press Release
December 4, 2020 • 2 min read
GOAL Sudan has launched a pilot project to help over 590,000 people access universal health cover in North Darfur.
The health system strengthening project, HealthPro, has received €4,905,000 in funding from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO). The programme is being implemented in the Kutum, Serf Umra and the Umbaro regions of North Darfur and runs until 2022.
Project to benefit Sudan’s internally displaced population
Those who will benefit from HealthPro include over 38,000 internally displaced people who will access primary health care through Local Health Authorities (LHAs). About 1.6 million people are thought to be displaced in Sudan, nearly two decades after war first started in Darfur.
The approach will target three LHAs and ten Primary Health Centres (PHCs) building health capacity at local, community and state levels. At a community level, HealthPro will promote healthy behaviors and ensure that health services at PHC levels are available by increasing enrolment to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
GOAL staff members speak with Dr. Mutaba Eltegani Yousuf, the acting Minister for the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Sudan.
Programmes activities will include building and equipping two drug stores for the National Medical Supplies Fund (NMSF) and providing construction and equipment support for LHA offices. The approach will ensure that LHAs will have the human resource, tools, and systems in place for managing the PHCs. GOAL will also procure three vehicles, one for each LHA office, which will provide regular support to the PHCs.
International stakeholders attend GOAL workshop
GOAL organised a one-day consultative workshop with key project stakeholders in El Fashir, North Darfur to kickstart project activities, some of which were substantially delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The workshop included representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health and Social Development (MoHSD), Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), NHIF, NMSF and GOAL.
At the workshop Dawit Beyene, GOAL’s Country Director in Sudan, underlined how the HealthPro project will bring a unique opportunity to enhance the capacity of the State to strengthen health systems.
Dr. Mutaba Eltegani Yousuf, the acting Minister for the MoHSD, expressed his appreciation for the work GOAL and its donors have been doing, and called for all stakeholders to show full commitment to the project. The meeting concluded with stakeholders developing a common understanding of project interventions and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.
HealthPro is being implemented in collaboration with North Darfur’s MoHSD, NHIF, NMSF and the LHAs.
GOAL in Sudan
Since 1985, GOAL has been implementing a wide range of humanitarian and development interventions in Sudan. GOAL also supports conflict-affected populations in the region through integrated programmes in nutrition, health, water sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as well as food security and livelihoods. GOAL’s programing in Sudan benefitted over 350,000 individuals during 2019.
