Kigali 13 February 2023 - The Ministry of Health has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) Rwanda Office, and received a fleet of eight support vehicles to strengthen national emergency preparedness.

In partnership with WHO, the Ministry of Health is taking another step forward in health emergency preparedness and readiness.

Delivering his remarks at the MoU signing ceremony, Rwandan Health Minister, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana described the support as a greater addition to the national efforts to prepare for pandemics.

This is an opportunity to build a stronger health system, and it’s a seed that will have its harvest, in the near future, he commented.

Minister Nsanzimana added: It is something important because there are no borders in preventing diseases and the contribution that we get comes as an addition in preventing diseases and strengthening the national preparedness, which is what the MoU is coming to emphasize.

The terms of this MoU are in line with the three flagship initiatives launched by the WHO Regional Office for Africa in early 2022, which aim to improve the capacity of member states to prepare for, detect and respond to health emergencies. The three flagship initiatives are respectively: PROSE (Promoting Resilience of Systems for Emergencies), TASS (Transforming African Surveillance Systems) and SURGE (Strengthening and Utilizing Response Groups for Emergencies).

As a result of these efforts, the Ministry of Health has already made significant progress. A scoping mission conducted by WHO/AFRO in September produced a situation analysis and roadmap, and the ministry has secured eight vehicles to support the emergency preparedness and response initiative.

In addition, the first of four training modules was completed for the integration of 74 Rwandan emergency responders, building their skills and capacity to respond to local and regional public health emergencies within 24-48 hours.