South Africa to host the final eight-country Border Health regional meeting in Cape Town
South Africa, 8 September 2022 – The Health Systems Trust will be hosting a Strengthening Cross-border Collaboration and Information-sharing Regional Meeting, uniting eight Southern African countries from 12 to 16 September 2022 at Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa in Cape Town, South Africa.
The countries are:
- Botswana
- Eswatini
- Lesotho
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- South Africa
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Purpose of the meeting:
The meeting will be attended by international delegates including the Consul General of the United States of America in Cape Town, and representatives from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), International Organization of Migration (IOM), Africa CDC, World Health Organization (WHO), and Ministries of Health in the eight countries, including South Africa's National Department of Health (NDoH).
The September meeting will facilitate dedicated time for countries to align their border health and mobility surveillance strategies to strengthen regional cross-border public health information-sharing and improve co-ordinated public health surveillance, communication, preparedness, and response across southern Africa. The purpose is to improve co-ordination of a public health response in the region to outbreaks of communicable diseases.
Of importance: Population movement influences the spread of communicable diseases and affects the capabilities of public health systems in neighbouring countries, requiring the establishment and maintenance of cross-border collaboration in order to improve co-ordination and communication. With the goal of advancing strategies for cross-border information-sharing and co-ordination, these eight SADC member states, along with other regional bodies, will finalise regional, bilateral and multilateral frameworks and operational guidance for cross-border collaboration. There is sustained value in conducting a multinational meeting to work towards achieving this goal.
The media are invited to cover the opening remarks by representatives of CDC, the NDoH, on Monday 12 September 2022 at 09h00, or the closing remarks on Friday 16 September at 12h00 by the U.S. Consul General Todd Haskell and representatives of NDoH. The concept note and agenda are attached.
For more information about the meeting, please contact communications@hst.org.za or hst@hst.org.za.
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About the Health Systems Trust
The Health Systems Trust (HST) is a leading role-player in the South African public health arena, focusing on health systems strengthening, research, and strategic support in the implementation of priority health programmes. Established in April 1992, on the brink of democracy in South Africa, HST has played a significant role in the evolution of the national health system.