Sierra Leone : Enhanced disaster preparedness workshop underway

The Sierra Leonean government is organising a three-day high-level meeting on the Universal Health Review and Disaster Preparedness in the capital, Freetown, from 3 May 3023.

Divine KANANYET/apanews.net

It is a voluntary and transparent peer review mechanism in the field, aimed at establishing a regular intergovernmental
dialogue between countries on their respective national capacities for health emergency preparedness. The main objective of the project is to strengthen Sierra Leone’s disaster risk management capacity in order to promote national coordination while recognising and supporting local action to reduce risk and ensure preparedness. “What we have learned from Ebola is that instead of chasing
a virus, you have to position yourself strategically to be ahead of it and anticipate it. The World Health Organization and other partners, through this review process, will help the country position itself to better anticipate and prevent emergencies,” explained Dr. Austin H. Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation. According to the authorities, Sierra Leone has made considerable progress in health security and universal health coverage as part of its recovery from the shock of the Ebola outbreak almost ten years ago, the Covid-19 pandemic and other health emergencies.
“This review will provide us with best practices in preparedness and response, and how we can improve preparedness efforts in general. WHO reaffirms its commitment to partner with the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure the safety of the population and to serve the vulnerable,”
said Lindiwe Makubalo, WHO Assistant Regional Director for the African Region.
Adequate resources The expected outcome of the universal health review and preparedness
is a commitment by the government and its partners to provide adequate resources for health, using a whole-of-government
and whole-of-society approach to prepare for and respond to health emergencies. The project team is coordinating closely with the National Security Bureau, the main interlocutor at the central level; as well as with all target cities, e.g. the mayors of the three cities and the District
Mayors of Makeni and Bo. The World Bank team coordinated with the EU delegation regarding ongoing EU initiatives in Sierra Leone.