Afrigather Uganda has probably the greatest emergency preparedness and response programs in Africa. That is the discovering of the second Joint Exterior Analysis (JEE) train that assessed the nation’s capability to detect, forestall, and reply quickly to public well being emergencies in accordance with the Worldwide Well being Rules (IHR, 2005).
The JEE is a peer evaluate, voluntary, collaborative, multi-sectoral capability evaluation train carried out each 4 to five years. It befell in Kampala and was coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Workplace, with help from the World Well being Group and companions.
It helps international locations determine essentially the most important gaps of their wider well being system and prioritize actions to enhance preparedness and response capacities. The method begins with an inner multisectoral evaluation by the nation and its nationwide stakeholders, which is then introduced to a world exterior group for a extra in-depth analysis.
Talking on the opening ceremony, the Minister of Well being, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, defined the significance of the train for the well being system noting that “It’s all the time necessary to know our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to emergency preparedness and response, to enhance our technique and actions”. This, she added, “is the rationale why we requested WHO to help Uganda in finishing up the JEE train”.
Throughout this JEE, a group of exterior evaluators mobilized by means of WHO assessed the measures taken by the nation to strengthen its pandemic prevention, early detection, and speedy response capacities since 2017, when the primary analysis train was carried out.
The analysis discovered that Uganda has a powerful immunization system to stop and comprise epidemics. The nation was additionally recommended for its robust surveillance system, which permits early detection of outbreaks. As well as, the general public well being emergency administration system is powerful, as evidenced by the existence of public well being emergency operations facilities.
“Uganda has probably the greatest emergency preparedness and response programs on the continent. It has a great laboratory system throughout the completely different sectors. I encourage different international locations to study from Uganda,” mentioned Dr. Shikanga O-Tipo who led the exterior analysis group.
The JEE additionally recognized some weaknesses to which evaluators made a number of suggestions similar to strengthening the multisectoral well being safety workforce to reply successfully to well being emergencies. The evaluators additionally known as for improved capability to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This, they famous would as well as enhance the nation’s an infection prevention and management strategic interventions.
Consequently, Dr Aceng careworn the necessity to work collectively to enhance the nation’s skill to stop and reply to well being emergencies. “One sector alone can’t address well being emergencies, a sustained multi-sectoral strategy between ministries and companions is required to make sure an satisfactory response to public well being occasions.”
Talking on the closing ceremony, Dr Elizabeth Mgamb, WHO Emergency Preparedness and Response Nation Group Lead, famous that this version of the JEE comes after Uganda skilled two main public well being occasions of Ebola and COVID-19. “We hope that the teachings discovered throughout these emergencies and the evaluation made by the JEE will contribute to informing the subsequent 5-year Nationwide Motion Plan for Well being Safety within the nation,” she mentioned.
“It will go a protracted option to making certain that nationwide capacities in well being emergency prevention, preparedness, response, and restoration are correctly deliberate, constructed, strengthened, and sustained for improved regional and world well being safety,” Dr Elizabeth concluded.
