Ethiopia has reaffirmed its dedication to international well being safety by submitting its annual well being safety evaluation, generally known as the State Social gathering Self-Evaluation Annual Report (SPAR), to the World Well being Meeting (WHA). This obligatory report, required below Article 54 of the Worldwide Well being Rules (IHR), evaluates the nation’s capability to stop, detect, and reply to public well being dangers.
SPAR is an important software utilized by nations to evaluate their nationwide well being safety capacities. Developed by the World Well being Group (WHO), this self-assessment framework consists of 35 indicators that measure 15 key well being safety capacities, resembling coordination, financing, illness surveillance, human sources, well being emergency administration, an infection prevention and management and well being service provision.
Ethiopia has persistently submitted its SPAR report every year since 2010. The 2024 evaluation was ready throughout a workshop held from January 21-24, 2025, in Hawassa, which introduced collectively over 80 consultants from varied authorities sectors, together with the well being, agriculture, and atmosphere in addition to representatives from United Nations Organizations, U.S. authorities entities, and different well being companions.
Through the workshop, consultants from totally different fields evaluated the nation’s well being safety infrastructure, assessing Ethiopia’s capability to detect, assess, notify, report, and reply to public well being threats. The Ethiopian Public Well being Institute (EPHI) supplied technical and operational help to facilitate the method.
Dr. Mesay Hailu, Director Basic of EPHI, said, “The progress mirrored in Ethiopia’s 2024 SPAR evaluation is the results of robust collaboration throughout sectors. Whereas we have fun these achievements, we stay dedicated to addressing the recognized gaps and enhancing our public well being response capacities.”
Ethiopia’s general IHR capability rating for 2024 was 69%, surpassing the African regional common of 51% and the worldwide common of 57%. This achievement highlights the nation’s efforts to strengthen its well being safety system.
Nonetheless, the evaluation additionally recognized a number of areas requiring enchancment, together with:
– Meals Security: 40%
– An infection Prevention and Management: 53%
– Human Sources: 60%
– Chemical Occasions Preparedness: 60%
The report recommends focused capacity-building actions to deal with these gaps and reinforce a extra resilient public well being system.
Ethiopia formally submitted its SPAR report on January 31, 2025, fulfilling its dedication to the WHO. Past serving as a requirement for worldwide well being monitoring, this report will function a reference for planning well being safety initiatives and setting nationwide targets for the upcoming 12 months.
Dr. Patrick Okumu Abok, Workforce Lead of the Emergency Preparedness & Response Cluster on the WHO Nation Workplace in Ethiopia, remarked, “Ethiopia’s dedication to well being safety, as demonstrated via its SPAR evaluation, is commendable. By repeatedly strengthening its public well being techniques, Ethiopia is contributing not solely to nationwide resilience but in addition to international well being preparedness.”
With its ongoing dedication to international well being safety, Ethiopia’s progress in enhancing its IHR capacities ensures higher preparedness for public well being challenges, each regionally and internationally.
Every State Social gathering is liable for finishing the evaluation utilizing a multisectoral method, incorporating enter from varied authorities sectors and well being safety companions. The outcomes allow nations determine their strengths and areas for enchancment in public well being techniques, in the end enhancing international preparedness for pandemics and different well being emergencies.
State Events are inspired to start their self-assessments mid-year utilizing the web-based SPAR platform to streamline information assortment and reporting.
