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NHEPR Centre becomes a reality |
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 |
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The task of incorporating risk reduction and mitigation approaches in the existing and future health programmes of Pakistan has, at long last, been institutionalised in the shape of the National Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Centre (NHEPR), which was inaugurated by the Regional Director of the World Health Organisation’s Eastern Mediterranean Region Dr. Hussein A Gezairy at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) here on Monday.
What was, until yesterday, an insignificant block with zero utility, has been transformed overnight into a valuable national hub for emergency preparedness and response, as if by force of magic. Made possible with assistance from the WHO, the HEPR Centre has already been projected by Dr. Gezairy as attaining the status of a centre of excellence for the entire Eastern Mediterranean Region, and not just Pakistan, which has recently had the misfortune of suffering numerous disasters.
Dr. Gezairy inaugurated the Centre in the company of Minister for Health Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Secretary Health Khushnood Lashari, whose proactive engagement with the project led to its materialization, WHO Country Representative Dr. Khalif Bile Mohamud, executive director of PIMS Dr. Ghazala Mehmood, and Joint Executive Director Dr. Jehazeb Khan Aurakzai.
Briefing the guests, Dr. Aurakzai shared how the adoption of Health Cluster Approach at the federal, provincial and districts levels did wonders for Pakistan during disasters ranging from floods and earthquakes to the IDPs crisis. He informed that a team of experts from EMRO is expected soon to train hospital managers in emergency preparedness and response. “We are also planning a managers’ training on disaster reduction and hope to finalise provincial HEPR plans by the second week of June,” Aurakzai stated.
A PC-1 for allocation of an annual budget to support the NHEPR Centre with additional human resources and operational cost initially for two years (2010-11) has been drafted and is awaiting approval. This would be followed by another longer-term PC-1 ensuring appropriate allocation for NHEPRC and would be an integral part of the annual programmes of the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry of Health, through the NHEPR Centre, will be responsible for developing and instituting policies on health emergency preparedness and response for the entire country. The Centre will also oversee the development of health sector preparedness and response plans for Pakistan at the federal, provincial, district and community levels and link to regional plans.
Dr. Gezairy appreciated the leading coordinating role played by the government of Pakistan during the earthquake of 2005. “The manner in which all UN agencies in Pakistan worked together under the overall coordination of the government, without anybody trying to raise the flag of his own agency, is being appreciated by all,” Dr. Gezairy stated. The WHO RD said, the NHEPR Centre is an outcome of the need to have everything ready and in place, long before a disaster wreaks havoc with lives and infrastructure.
He recommended the construction of hospitals and health facilities that can withstand disasters. “This can be achieved at very little additional cost,” he stated. He urged Pakistan to establish warehouses stocked with blankets, tents, medicines and other essential equipment, as well as a communication hub for need assessment.
Shahabuddin termed WHO’s contribution to the health system of Pakistan as being “indispensable” in every respect. “The WHO provides us with the means to tackle problems. We, on our part, follow a consultative approach and try to bring all actors on board before arriving at decisions,” he said. The minister expressed the desire to establish an efficient system for forecast and forewarning of disease outbreaks at the district headquarters level. “This is an ambitious plan; not a holiday undertaking,” he said.
In the end, Shahabuddin presented a token of remembrance to Dr. Gezairy. Earlier, the WHO RD inaugurated the Patient Safety Centre at PIMS. Patient Safety is a WHO strategy in which member states are urged to develop national standards for patient safety. Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative (PSFHI) aims to instigate and encourage safe health practices in hospitals and involves the implementation of a set of patient safety standards in these health institutions. Patient safety standards (measures) and implementation guidelines have been developed at Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO-EMRO). Similar centres will be established in all hospitals across the country. If the health secretary is to be believed, “PIMS will now be a centre of excellence for patient safety.” |
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