Afrigather 
The Ministry of Well being (MoH) with assist from the World Well being Group (WHO) and different companions, convened a two-day multi-sectorial workshop in Freetown from February 13 to 14, 2024. The aim was to arrange the 2023 Worldwide Well being Laws (IHR) State Occasion Annual Report (SPAR), marking one other stride in strengthening world well being safety in step with Member State accountability necessities.
The Worldwide Well being Laws (IHR 2005) function a binding settlement amongst 196 international locations, together with all WHO Member States, to fortify collective efforts in safeguarding world well being. Underneath the IHR framework, nations decide to enhancing capacities for stopping, detecting, assessing, reporting, and responding to public well being occasions. WHO, in tandem with its companions, assumes a pivotal function in coordinating IHR actions, aiding international locations in capacity-building endeavors.
Integral to the IHR are measures carried out at ports, airports, and floor crossings to mitigate the dissemination of well being dangers throughout borders whereas minimizing disruptions to journey and commerce. For Sierra Leone, a signatory to the IHR (2005), the journey of IHR implementation unfolds as a gradual course of, necessitating the continuous growth and fortification of nationwide public well being capacities.
Central to this course of is the submission of the State Occasion Self-Evaluation Annual Report (SPAR Report), the place international locations yearly apprise the World Well being Meeting of their IHR capacities. To help international locations on this endeavor, WHO and different companions supported the Authorities of Sierra Leone in crafting the 2023 IHR State Occasion Report.
The workshop introduced collectively numerous stakeholders, together with authorities entities, worldwide organizations equivalent to UNICEF, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), African Subject Epidemiology Community (AFENET), United States Company for Worldwide Growth (USAID), GIZ, Break via Motion, Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO) and HEADA, amongst others. Collectively, they meticulously assessed the IHR core capacities, equivalent to laboratory infrastructure, well being providers provision, factors of entry, meals security, zoonotic ailments, and illness surveillance amongst others.
Via sturdy group discussions, strengths and gaps had been recognized, laying the groundwork for complete reporting on the functionalities and capacities of Sierra Leone’s public well being equipment. Armed with insights gleaned from the workshop, the nation is poised to current a radical and clear account of its IHR achievements and challenges.
As Sierra Leone and nations worldwide proceed to navigate the complicated panorama of worldwide well being safety, collaborative efforts equivalent to these, underscore the collective dedication to fortifying resilience towards rising well being threats. With every annual report, strides are made in the direction of constructing a extra sturdy and interconnected world well being structure, safeguarding the well-being of populations worldwide. With current launch of the Nationwide Public Well being Company (NPHA) and earlier piloting of the Common Well being Preparedness Overview UHPR), Sierra Leone is on the right track.
