The World Well being Group (WHO) and Africa Centres for Illness Management and Prevention (Africa CDC), in partnership with the federal government of Liberia have efficiently concluded a week-long scooping mission aimed toward enhancing the nation’s capability to well being safety preparedness and response.
The mission introduced collectively a various group of stakeholders from the nation. Its main aims have been to lift consciousness amongst authorities and demanding stakeholders of EPR flagship initiatives, conduct a complete state of affairs evaluation to determine present sources, gaps, priorities, and demanding actions, and develop a budgeted two-year roadmap to strengthen Liberia’s well being safety.
These initiatives are a part of the WHO Regional Technique for Well being Safety and Emergencies 2022-2030, endorsed by African Ministers of Well being in Togo in 2022. The technique goals to strengthen member states capacities to successfully put together, detect and reply to public well being emergencies via three flagship programmes i) Selling the resilience of programs for emergencies (PROSE), ii) Reworking African Surveillance Techniques (TASS), and iii) Strengthening and Using Response Teams for Emergencies (SURGE).
Talking through the opening of the technical session, Dr. Catherine Cooper, Deputy Minister of Well being and Chief Medical Officer in Liberia, expressed the significance of the nation taking part in such essential flagship packages and thanked WHO for together with Liberia.
“Liberia has made important strides in epidemic preparedness and emergency response. Nonetheless, the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered weaknesses in our well being system resilience and epidemic preparedness. The flagship initiatives provide a chance to boost our preparedness and response capacities to raised shield our individuals from the impacts of epidemics and disasters,” said Hon. Dr. Catherine Cooper, Deputy Minister of Well being and Chief Medical Officer in Liberia.
Dr. Peter Clement, WHO Consultant to Liberia, emphasised the significance of strengthening epidemic preparedness and response inside the One Well being context. “The findings of this mission and the roadmap developed will information our collaborative efforts in making certain Liberia is healthier ready and its inhabitants protected in opposition to the devastating results of well being emergencies and disasters. The price of constructing capability and getting ready for emergencies is far decrease than the price of emergency response, particularly if the nation shouldn’t be effectively ready, as evidenced by the teachings discovered from the Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic,” mentioned Dr. Clement.
The mission engaged with the Legislative and Senate well being committees, UN Nation Staff, well being growth companions, Ministry of Well being, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Protection, Nationwide Public Well being Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Company (NDMA), WASH Fee, Surroundings Safety Company (EPA), Forestry Growth Authority, Water & Sewerage Co-operation, Embassies of Germany and France, Worldwide and Nationwide companions. These engagements served as a platform to advocate for funding in preparedness, detection, and response to public well being emergencies and disasters.
Dr. Brian Chirombo, WHO Consultant in Rwanda who led the mission crew from the Africa Regional Workplace, highlighted that the scoping mission represented a vital step for figuring out cost-effective interventions in Preparedness, Detection and Response to Public Well being Emergencies and Disasters that may improve and strengthen the nation’s core capacities and resilience to rising and re-emerging well being threats. Liberia now turns into the twenty eighth African nation to endure this train.
Hon. Solomon Hedds Williams, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, pressured the necessity for strengthened collaboration amongst sectors at each nationwide and sub-national ranges throughout preparedness and response to illness outbreaks and disasters, “We have to strengthen our collaboration amongst sectors on the nationwide and sub-national throughout preparedness and response to illness outbreaks and disasters particularly on Laboratory capability, one well being digital surveillance, emergency stockpiling, group well being, coaching and equipping an emergency workforce of responders”.
Hon. Dabah M. Varpilah, Chairperson of the Well being Committee of Parliament, expressed gratitude for the mission, noting its timeliness because the nation develops its nationwide growth plan and the County Growth Agenda. She emphasised the committee’s dedication to advocating for elevated funding to the well being sector, and fast-tracking the passage of the general public well being legislation. She additional requested WHO and Af-CDC to offer catalytic sources to kick begin implementation of the roadmap and likewise advocate amongst different growth companions for his or her purchase in.
The EPR Flagship Initiatives to be led by the Authorities of Liberia, is predicted to enrich efforts and investments in the direction of constructing a resilient well being system able to successfully stopping, getting ready for, detecting, and responding to public well being emergencies and disasters utilizing the One Well being strategy. Shifting ahead, the nation will finalize, validate, and disseminate the two-year roadmap by 30 August 2024, with key actions to provoke the implementation of the flagship initiatives tailor-made to Liberia’s particular wants. This collaborative mission by WHO and Africa CDC was funded by the UK authorities (Overseas Commonwealth and Growth Workplace – FCDO).