The Japanese government has handed over a Port Health Facility to South Sudan to ease screening of travelers at the Juba International Airport (JIA).
The facility was constructed by the government of Japan through the World Health Organization (WHO) at the Juba International Airport.
Speaking to journalists during the handover of the facility at Juba International Airport on Friday, Dr. Victoria Anib, undersecretary at South Sudan’s Ministry of Health said the facility will help in detecting international transmission of any diseases.
“South Sudan is very proud today to have this facility to curb the international transmission of diseases and to help in not only Covid-19 detection but also other diseases like yellow fever and other diseases that can be transmitted through travel and across the border,” Anib said. “This port health facility is important because it helps in surveillance activities and helps with prevention of diseases and also protect global security as we are part of the global village.”
For his part, Japanese Ambassador to South Sudan, Tsutsumi Naohiro said, “In order to respond to this global challenge, Japan started this project last year through WHO to prevent the cross border threat of Covid-19 and other infections to save more lives. I would like to congratulate the people of South Sudan for this achievement,” Ambassador Naohiro said.
The facility has several units including screening, cold storage, power backup, yellow fever unit, holding area, data office, meeting room, and washrooms.
“Today the ministry of health with support from the WHO and the government of the Republic of Japan is pleased to announce that we have established a Port Health Facility at Juba International Airport to mitigate the risk of cross border diseases spread and to minimize the risk of travel public health security,” WHO country representative in South Sudan Dr. Fabian Ndenzako said.
South Sudan’s Ministry of Health says it is planning to put a similar port health facility at the Nimule border to ease screening for travelers.