Conakry – Guinea was one of the hardest hit countries by the Ebola (EVD) outbreak in West Africa in 2014, with 3,358 confirmed cases and more than 2,500 deaths. To prevent future outbreaks and minimize the health and socio-economic impacts of health epidemics such as Ebola in the country, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting Guinea’s Ministry of Health in launching two funding mechanisms that are intended to strengthen health security in the country. 

"Drawing lessons from the 2014 epidemic, the government of Guinea had set up a decentralized emergency management system which is not efficient because of a lack of resources,” said Dr. Sakoba Keita, the Director General of the National Agency for Health Security (ANSS) at a two-day Forum ‘Engaged for Health Security’ organized last week to launch the new funds. 

Organized by IOM, the Ministry of Health and ANSS, the forum aimed at finding sustainable funding solutions for Guinea’s health system. 

“The aim with these two new funding mechanisms is to reach at least 30 per cent of funding for the National Strategic Health Security Plan by 2023,” said Dr Abdoulaye Wone, IOM Public Health Coordinator in Guinea.  

The first of the two, The Local Epidemic Response Fund (EpiFOND), will enable health districts to respond within 24 hours after the reporting of any outbreak. This Fund allocates grants of up to USD 30,000 to local health districts to foster a rapid response – within two weeks – of an alert. This fund will for the most part be financed through individual contributions via its crowdfunding platform www.epifond.com. 

The second fund, ‘Alliance for Health Security’ is based on donations from Guinea’s private sector. “The private sector is committed to supporting the Government of Guinea in the management of health emergencies and the strengthening of the health system through the Alliance,” explained Abdoul Karim Diallo, who represents the private sector.  

“This tool will enable us to mobilize resources to respond to health emergencies in a timely manner while ensuring synergies with government priorities,” Diallo added. 

IOM is a key operational health partner in Guinea. Since 2014 the organization has been supporting the Ministry of Health by strengthening the country’s health security and International Health Regulation (IHR) core capacities.  

This initiative is funded by the Directorate General of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid of the European Union. This initiative is planned to be gradually extended to the two other countries affected by Ebola around the Mano River (Sierra Leone and Liberia) using a cross-border approach. 

For more information, please contact Lucas Chandellier at IOM Guinea, Tel: +224 628338653, Email: lchandellier@iom.int