 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
|
|
 |
| NHEPRN churns out first cadre of health emergency |
|
|
|
|
|
Monday, July 12, 2010
Our correspondent
Islamabad
Pakistan’s diverse geo-physical and climatic conditions, which make it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, underscore the need for incorporation of risk reduction and mitigation measures in all existing and future plans and policies.
The country’s vulnerability to disasters clearly demonstrates the need for health emergency managers to be trained and made available in all parts of the country so that lack of appropriate skills for proactive management of emergencies does not exacerbate the challenge already in hand.
Recognizing this need, the National Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Network (NHEPRN), with the assistance of the World Health Organization, arranged the first-ever national training on ‘Management of Public Health Risks in Emergencies for Health Emergency Managers.’ Designed for senior managers from health and health-related sectors, with responsibilities in the area of emergency preparedness and management, vulnerability reduction, and policy making and planning, the course was attended by provincial and district managers from Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit -Baltistan, Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“The course focused on disasters including natural, technological and complex emergencies. It presented their management in terms of development and policy issues, rather than as simple humanitarian response or relief issues,” course coordinator Dr. Jehazeb Aurakzai informed on his return from Muzaffarabad, where the course was held from June 29 to July 10.
The course demonstrated ways to implement health risk management policies at the national, provincial and community levels. It also familiarized health managers with policy making, planning and organizational aspects of health risk management and presented current international standards in the key technical areas in health and health-related disciplines. The course enabled the participants to understand contextual issues of hazards and emergencies and their public health consequences, in relation to other health sector and national development priorities.
Principles of risk and emergency management concepts; organisation of services for and the management of mass casualties, including hospital preparedness; principles of health sector assessment and needs analysis in disasters; the role of epidemiology as a tool for decision making in emergencies; and effective management of health activities-from prevention to response and recovery were some of the major issues that the participants exchanged knowledge on.
The course employed a range of participatory methods with emphasis on case studies, group work, round table discussions, brief presentations and simulation exercises. The participants left the course with greater awareness and understanding of health issues in the context of multi-sectoral emergency risk management. This new group of health emergency managers will become part of the National HEPR Network.
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
ShareThis