SUDAN NEEDS TO REVIEW CRISIS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Khartoum- Since outbreak of Coronavirus in Sudan on12 of April, this years and officially announced Sudan’s first case of COVID-19 in the country. The Federal Ministry of health has taken a number of precautionary measures to comabt this pandemic, but day after the cases have rapidly increased made the dask of (FMoH) not only chronic but also gloomy due to shortage of equipment and fragile health system which suffers over decades of time. Almost two months passed on The Sudanese Minister of Health Akram Ali Al-tom has appealed in a press conference, speaking with high confidence to represntatives of local, regional and international media outlets as it was the begining of the crisis, the minister spoke in length and spoke out touching a number of issues in response to a question over what arrangements made by his Ministry to face the novel Coronavirus .Also,he express readiness to fight COVID-19 and did not deny that pandemic will reach Sudan soon or late then he said with fully confidence that people who manage to lead great revolution and remove the ousted president Al-Bashir for sure will able to fight Coronavirus, the statement which circulated in social media that the minister underestimated the crisis by giving or responsible statement. I think the minister means that the spirit of revolution which cultivated values of cooperation and solidarity as the sole way to control COVID-19 and any disease. As a journalist used to follow up the situation very closely I can say that Akram has manage to some extent to manage the crisis of COVID-19 in a professional way, especially during the First month 13 March to 13 April,but his performance has gradually been decreased, it seams that his team has lacked of harmney, cooperation and coordinating that is why a number of mistakes appeared and citizens and patients at the same time complain of pandemics team even journalists suffer access information. It is true that many hospitals suffer overpressure on basic services. Basically to manage any crisis you you need to unify media paltform for Flow of information on regular bases ,Secondly to response any question related to crisis on the spot, Thirdly assignment of spokesperson to update the situation and also disperse fake news and rumours , besides really efforts of all team, units and adminstrations twords one objective. Till now there is an opportunity for FMoH to review such things and correct the previous mistakes there is nothing means too late if people have power of change and will of improving. The only way to stop fake news is through adoption principles of accurancy and transparency particularly in dealing with media. Again imposing total lockdown is not enough unless other preventive procedures to be taken.