Note verbale documents
Extensive activities were undertaken to strengthen countries’ preparedness for emergencies. A joint external evaluation (JEE) was conducted in Iraq to assess the country’s public health capacities to deal with all hazards under the International Health Regulations (2005). This brings to 18 the number of countries in the Region that have undergone JEEs, with evaluations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestine, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen set to complete the tally.
JEEs provide the basis for each country to develop a national action plan for health security (NAPHS) tailored to its specific needs. As part of follow-up work in 2019, workshops were organized by WHO and attended by representatives of public institutions and partner organizations, with participants teaming up to across 19 technical areas of the IHR to address the recommendations that came out of previous JEEs. Djibouti, Egypt, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates developed their NAPHS.
In addition to this support for individual countries, cross-border and regional preparedness were important areas of focus. WHO collaborated with country offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and national ministries of public health, animal health and environment to conduct tripartite joint risk assessments for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Staff from national and subnational offices practiced shared health threats at the human–animal–environment interface using a “One Health” approach.
As part of ongoing efforts to support countries in maintaining IHR core capacities at points of entry, WHO collaborated with the United States Centers for Disease Control and the International Organization for Migration to develop a new Handbook for public health capacity building and cross-border collaboration at ground crossings. This global resource was pilot tested through a comprehensive three-day programme of discussions in Beirut, Lebanon, with national IHR focal points, senior officials working directly with public health issues at ground crossings, participants from relevant sectors, and WHO’s sister UN agencies.
Further action on cross-border security included training for personnel from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates on public health capacity-building and cross border collaboration at ground crossings, and a review of ground crossings in Egypt to ensure preparedness following a Rift Valley fever outbreak in Sudan.
At the end of the year, the eighth regional stakeholders meeting brought together more than 140 participants from Member States to review the implementation of the IHR. The meeting provided a platform for the introduction of several new tools and innovations to support IHR implementation, including training packages and tools for NAPHS prioritization, monitoring and evaluation. Recommendations addressed enhancing multisectoral collaboration, determining priority areas, increasing capacity-building activities and continuing knowledge exchange between countries, with WHO reaffirming its commitment to provide ongoing technical support.
Key outcomes of the meeting will feed into the first health security diplomacy meeting, set to take place in 2020, which will provide a high-level forum for continuing multisectoral collaboration and coordination for IHR implementation.
Technical advisory commends progress made in polio eradication in Afghanistan
Kabul, 29 November 2017
The Technical Advisory Group on polio eradication (TAG) met in Kabul, Afghanistan 26th and 27th November 2017 to review the progress and challenges in polio eradication efforts and provide recommendations for achieving polio free status in Afghanistan.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Public Health, Dr. Ferozuddin Feroz, the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General Toby Lanzer, Senior Advisor to Minister of Public Health Dr. Hedayatullah Stanikzai, Representative from Office of Presidential focal point for polio, WHO and UNICEF representatives in Afghanistan, representative from regional offices and headquarters of WHO and UNICEF, members of the Afghanistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) team from national and regional levels as well as representatives from donor agencies and the Pakistan National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
Minister for Public Health, Dr. Ferozuddin Feroz attended the TAG meeting in Kabul
WHO delivers much needed medical supplies to underserved areas in southern Libya
بتمويل من الاتحاد الأوروبي وصندوق الإغاثة المركزي للطوارئ: منظمة الصحة في ليبيا تصل باللوازم الطبية الضرورية للمناطق المحرومة من الخدمات في الجنوب
6 كانون الأول/ ديسمبر 2017، تونس، طرابلس--نجح مكتب منظمة الصحة العالمية في ليبيا في الوصول بالإمدادات الطبية التي تمس الحاجة إليها إلى مستودع الإمدادات الطبية بفزان لتلبية الاحتياجات الصحية العاجلة للآلاف من سكان المناطق الجنوبية المحرومين من الخدمات الصحية الملائمة. ويتم حالياً توزيع تلك الإمدادات على المستشفيات والمراكز الطبية في الجنوب والتي تم تمويلها بدعم قدمته المعونة الإنسانية والحماية المدنية التابعة للاتحاد الأوروبي (إيكو) وصندوق الإغاثة المركزي للطوارئ (سيرف).
تشتمل الإمدادات على 10 حزم طبية من النوع بي المعدة للمعالجة أكثر من ألف إصابة متوسطة إلى شديدة، وثلاثة حزم طبية لمعالجة الأمراض غير السارية كل منها توفر إمدادات أساسية لمعالجة المصابين بالأمراض غير السارية مثل الأدوية اللازمة لمعالجة مرضى القلب والإنسولين ولوازم قياس مستوى السكري في الدم وبخاخ موسع الشعب الهوائية لمعالجة الربو. وقد أعدت كل حزمة طبية بحيث تكفي 30 ألف شخص لمدة حوالي ثلاثة أشهر، فضلاً عن 12 صندوقاً من موسع الشعب الهوائية لمعالجة أكثر من 3600 حالة. ويتم توزيع هذه الإمدادات بناءً على الحتياجات العاجلة في الجنوب الليبي.
علاوة على ذلك، تم توزيع 11 من أجهزة التنفس الاصطناعي من قبل مكتب منظمة الصحة العالمية في ليبيا على مستشفى تراغين ومركز سبها الطبي ومركز سبها للسرطان ومستشفى مرزق وكلها في مناطق تعد الأكثر تعرضاً للمخاطر والأقل تمتعاً بالخدمات الطبية في مناطق الجنوب الليبي.
ومن شأن توفير أجهزة التنفس الاصطناعي أن ينقذ آلاف الأرواح من خلال تقوية نظام التنفس الطبيعي في وحدات الرعاية المركزة.
وبهذه المناسبة تجدد منظمة الصحة العالمية التزامها الإنساني المتواصل ودعمها للقطاع الصحي في مختلف أنحاء ليبيا. كما تعرب عن شكرها العميق لكل من المعونة الإنسانية والحماية المدنية التابعة للاتحاد الأوروبي (إيكو) وصندوق الإغاثة المركزي للطوارئ (سيرف) على ألتزامهما بمواصلة توفير الدعم وتلبية الاحتياجات الصحية الإنسانية في ليبيا.
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لمزيد من المعلومات:
الدكتور سيد جعفر حسين
ممثل منظمة الصحة العالمية ورئيس بعثتها في ليبيا
إيميل:
Lifesaving mobile health teams reach people in newly liberated areas of Hawiija, Iraq
For more than three years, the people of Hawiija district in Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq, were cut off from lifesaving health care and immunization services, leaving many children susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. “For years, I worried that my children may contract polio and measles or die,” said Hadija, a 32-year-old mother of three children.
In September 2017, the district became accessible following military operations launched by the Government of Iraq. WHO,
together with Kirkuk Directorate of Health, immediately deployed mobile medical teams to provide immunization services, and health care for people suffering from trauma injuries or chronic disease conditions.
Five mobile medical teams were deployed to Khan, Tal Ali, Abbassi, Masanaa, Al Zab and Ryadh areas. Since then, from mid-September to 15 November 2017, more than 10000 people in Hawiija district have benefited from WHO’s support, including 1563 children vaccinated against childhood immunizable diseases.
Although these newly accessible areas are still security compromised, WHO saw urgency in delivering health care to thousands of people that had been cut off from aid for years, and whose health was being compromised day by day. Five main health facilities have been partially or completely damaged, in addition to Hawija general hospital. Currently, only the Kirkuk Directorate of Health and WHO-supported frontline health teams are delivering immunization services in these areas.
Among the beneficiaries is Hadija, who brought two of her children to the mobile teams for vaccination. “I believe that vaccination prevents many childhood diseases and can save my children. I take this seriously and it has always been a top priority when it comes to the health of my children,” she said.
“Being cut off from regular health services worried me. I thought of my children and how they may become disabled or die. Now we have health teams that move around our village to ensure that not only children, but everyone has access to health care,” added Hadijah.
The WHO-supported mobile teams deliver a comprehensive package of lifesavi
ng health services that include vaccination, medical consultations,
medicines, referrals, health promotion and treatment for chronic conditions. In addition, the teams conduct water quality monitoring, and distribution of chlorine tablets at household levels.
Additional 30 mobile medical teams will be deployed to Hawiija on 3 December 2018 to vaccinate children during an upcomingimmunization campaign.
To date in 2017, financial support from European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the Office of United States Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and the Government of Germany has allowed WHO to deploy more than 70 lifesaving mobile teams to hard to reach areas and newly accessible locations across Iraq.
For more information, please contact:
Pauline Ajello
Communications Officer
+964 7510101460
Ajyal Sultany
Communications Officer
+964 7510101469
