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Time

11:00 AM to 12:30 PM (EDT)

About

The Region of the Americas is second only to Asia in terms of disaster impact. Nearly 21% of all disasters worldwide between 2013 and 2018 occurred in the Region, resulting in 141 million casualties and more than 10,000 deaths.

The countries of the Region face a shortage and inequitable distribution of health workers, with a mismatch in terms of needs and skills. This is coupled with a lack of adequate training in emergency and disaster preparedness, prevention, and response.

Health workers play a key role in managing emergency and disaster response, since they work closely with communities and therefore are close to potential events. Health care professionals are frontline workers when conditions are stable and play an even bigger role in emergency and crisis situations, providing services in both pre-hospital and hospital settings. Good emergency response management requires a health workforce with the appropriate competencies.

The Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for Universal Health Coverage (World Health Organization, 2022), proposes that competency-based education will advance the transformation of education and training in the health sector. The Framework includes risk management in emergencies and disasters as part of Domain II: Population Health.

Under the Policy on the Health Workforce 2030: Strengthening Human Resources for Health to Achieve Resilient Health Systems, approved by Member States in September 2023, a strategic line of action is to enhance workforce capacity-building to address population health priorities and support public health emergency preparedness and response.

Given the importance of the topic, this webinar will present the proposed essential competencies for responding to health emergencies and disasters. This activity is organized jointly by PAHO's Human Resources for Health Unit (Department of Health Systems and Services) and the Department of Health Emergencies.

Objective of the webinar

To analyze the capacities of health workers to respond to emergencies and disasters in the Region.

Agenda

Welcome and opening remarks

• Dr. Benjamín Puertas, Unit Chief, Human Resources for Health, PAHO

Health workforce training for resilient health systems

• Dr. Benjamín Puertas, Unit Chief, Human Resources for Health, PAHO

General competency framework for emergency management

• Dr. Celso Bambaren, Unit Chief, Country Health Emergency Preparedness and IHR, PAHO

Panel: Health workers capabilities for responding to emergencies and disasters in the Region of the Americas

• Moderator: Dr. Rogelio Pizzi, President, ALAFEM

Proposed essential competencies for health workers to respond to emergencies and disasters

• Dr. Mauricio Espinel, International Consultant, PAHO

Development of competencies as the central learning objective Experience of the School of Medicine of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

• Dr. Patricia Paglini, Vice Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Córdonba

Implementation of essential competencies for emergency and disaster response in the framework of universal health coverage.

• Dr. Roberta Ladenheim, Vice Rector, Universidad Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires

Questions and Answers

Closing remarks

• Dr. Celso Bambaren, Unit Chief, Country Health Emergency Preparedness and IHR, PAHO