Public Health Emergency Management Directorate

Our vision is to be a center of excellence in public health emergency management in Ethiopia.

Mission

To establish a strong and effective public health emergency management system through robust early warning and surveillance, public health emergency (PHE) preparedness, PHE response and recovery from various public health emergencies throughout the region.

Objectives

To ensure rapid detection of any public health threats, preparedness and prompts response to and recovery from various public health emergencies.

Major Activities

Coordinate and assist all efforts to improve the preparedness of the health sector to prevent or reduce the public health consequences of outbreaks of diseases including malaria, measles, malnutrition, cholera, natural disasters, industrial or technological accidents, displacement of populations, civil unrest, conflicts or acts of terrorism and any other emergency or disaster situations. In particular, the directorate will be responsible to:

• • Identify, assess and monitor existing or potential threats to the public health;
  • Coordinate and ensure the formulation of preparedness plans for all types of public health emergencies at regional, zonal or lower levels;
  • Strengthen the Public Health Emergency Management capacity of the human resources of the health sector through direct training and coordination/ assistance to efforts to be undertaken by the Academic Institutions, other departments of the RHB or other health actors;
  • Issue alerts and warnings to the general public regarding potential public health emergencies or disasters;
  • Maintain and administer a stockpile of supplies and equipment required for rapid response to public health emergencies;
  • Ensure that South Ethiopia Region meet its international health security obligations in particular those under the International Health Regulations adopted in 2005.

As a PHEM Directorate, we aspire to build a resilient Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) system with all of the capacities and capabilities required for risk mitigation, emergency preparedness, and emergency response and recovery in place.

Core Values

Our core values are:

• Equity: All actors involved in the execution of this strategic plan will strive to expand services to underserved areas, and the poor and vulnerable population.
• Solidarity: A central measure to ensure effective health and nutrition emergency preparedness and emergency response and recovery shall be engaging communities and other stakeholders at all stages.
• Decentralization: The regional PHEM system shall have capable similar structures/units across the health system throughout the region, from the center and moving to the periphery.
• Collaboration: The Regional Public Health Emergency Management system strives to ensure a timely response to public health emergencies through appropriate emergency preparedness, by engaging all relevant stakeholders.
• Honesty and transparency: The Regional Public Health Emergency Management System shall communicate appropriate information (whenever deemed necessary) to the staff, the public, and the media honestly and transparently.

Principles of PHEM

Our principles:

• All-hazard approach: Different types of hazards are mostly associated with similar health risks, which can be effectively and efficiently addressed by designing a system with ‘common capacities, supplemented by risk-specific capacities.
• Risk-based approach: Health and other consequences of (health and nutrition) emergencies can be minimized by preventing or mitigating hazards, reducing exposure to those hazards, minimizing vulnerabilities, and/or strengthening capacities.
• Whole-of-government approach: Integrated support for emergency preparedness across all sectors of government and society, including non-governmental and private sector organizations and essential services, is paramount.
• Multisectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration: Effective management of the risks associated with health and nutrition emergencies requires strong, ongoing intersectoral collaboration and smooth cross-disciplinary action.
• Inclusive, and a people- and community-centered, approach: Community engagement at all phases of health and nutrition emergency management is essential as it is their health, livelihoods and assets that are at risk of any hazardous event including emergencies and disasters.