Damascus-Sana
Participants in the preparatory meeting for the joint external evaluation of the implementation of the “International Health Regulations 2005” organized by the Ministry of Health today, a number of measures implemented by the ministry and the concerned authorities at the local level since Syria signed the agreement in 2007 in order to achieve health security between countries and face epidemics and prevent the spread Through border crossings and facilitating procedures to ensure trade and traffic between countries in the event of a pandemic.
The participants in the meeting, which was held in cooperation with the World Health Organization in the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus today, stressed the importance of reviewing the reality of the indicators of the application of the International Health Regulations before the terrorist war on Syria and the steps to overcome the challenges imposed by the work and to strengthen health points at the border crossings and build human capacity and laboratory equipment and strengthen the work of teams Response and surveillance emphasize the importance of integrating the efforts of all relevant sectors to ensure the qualitative application of the International Health Regulations.
The Director of Communicable and Chronic Diseases at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Hazar Faroun explained that the meeting is an essential step for self-assessment of each side and the identification of weaknesses and strengths and the development of a national strategy for the implementation of the International Health Regulations to be carried out after the joint external evaluation in collaboration with the World Health Organization. The terrorist war on Syria prevented the continued application of the International Health Regulations.
Pharaoh pointed to the positive impact of the early warning and rapid response system implemented by the Ministry of Health during the terrorist war on Syria in preventing epidemics and diseases, which constituted a strength for health work by applying one of the axes of the International Health Regulations related to epidemiological surveillance and responding to health emergencies.
Pharaoh explained that the International Health Regulations include food safety, environmental and water safety, prevention of cross-border diseases, whether through people or animal-borne diseases, spreading health awareness in schools, establishments and institutions, in addition to developing the work of health teams working in the field of epidemiological investigation and health laboratories. .
For his part, Dr. Iskandar Hanna of the World Health Organization that the external evaluation of the application of the International Health Regulations is optional for countries and includes all sectors to determine the ability of countries to investigate and prevent health risks and rapid response to them in addition to identifying their needs to achieve health security and identify priorities and allocate the necessary resources pointing out that since The WHO launched the International Health Regulations in 2005. 100 external evaluations were completed worldwide.
Hanna stressed the importance of the meeting as a key step in conducting the external evaluation planned in Syria before the end of this year in a manner that ensures the application of health systems according to the approved standards and enables it to develop a national health security action plan based on the recommendations of the joint health assessment to be a guide for the implementation of the international health regulations and access to a health system. He praised the work of the Ministry of Health in cooperation with various authorities to improve the health care provided to those in need and achieve health security.
The Director of the International Health Regulations Program at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Hani Al-Lahham, reviewed the reality of the International Health Regulations in Syria and the activities that have been accomplished to build the basic national capacities working in this field, noting the Syrian legislation issued to implement this.
Al-Laham pointed to the effects of the war on Syria, pointing to a number of procedures to be carried out for conducting the joint external evaluation, namely the processing of border crossings, rehabilitation of rapid response teams to deal with the health hazards concerned by the International Health Regulations, rehabilitation of public health laboratories and international vaccine centers and the preparation of working manuals. International Health Regulations.
Ines Svan
