Gambia’s
health minister, Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, Monday presided over the opening of
a five-day training on the finalisation of National Action Plan for Health
Security (NAPHS) of the Gambia for Multi-Sectoral stakeholders in Bwiam.
Minister
Samateh emphasised that a sound and resilient health system is necessary to
support response to public health emergencies, saying the action is a
comprehensive multi-sectoral collaborative timeframe map to achieve the
objectives of strengthening the country’s health system and emergency response
to public health threats. He said this will minimise both health and economic
consequences.
National
Action plan for Health Security seeks to establish and strengthen core
capacities by adopting strategies that would establish priorities and
implementing activities intended to close the identified gaps with the goal
of preventing avoidable epidemics, reduce morbidity, disabilities, mortality and
socio-economic cost due to epidemics and other public health threats.
Health
minister said a resilient health system in the wake of a public health emergency
would guarantee the continuation and consistent delivery of quality health
services in The Gambia. The training was funded by the World Health
Organisation Gambia office.
According
to Minister Samateh, multi-sectoral commitment collaboration and coordinated
approaches are required at both national and international levels, between
health and relevant stakeholders.
He
noted that some achievements and progress are made from the inception of the
International Health Regulation (IHR) implementation in The Gambia, adding that
Gambia is not an exception to the risk from any of the diseases and events that
are of public health significance at national, regional and global levels.
He
further stated that member states and state parties have agreed
to work together to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats
according to the 2005 International Health
Regulations (IHR).
He
thanked WHO for its continued support to The Gambia and appealed to all
technical lead officers to fully participate in the training to be able to
produce a good National Action Plan for Public Health Security.
Alpha
Jallow of WHO said Gambia is making significant advances in the implementation of the 2005
International Health Regulations, noting that the country is making tremendous
efforts to finalize the health security action plan development which is a
resource mapping exercise. He said this will eventually help the country to
strengthen the 19 capacities identified in the recommendation of the 2007 Joint
External Evaluation (JEE) report to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to
public health threats.
