Public health emergency operation centres

Status, gaps and areas for improvement in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Bibliographic Data

ID21879978
AuthorsOsman M Elmahal (Country Health Emergency Preparedness and International Health Regulations (CPI), WHO Health Emergency Programme (WHE), World Health Organisation Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt), Osman Elmahal (World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, corresponding author), Ali Abdullah (0009-0002-1193-6309, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean), Manal K Elzalabany (Country Health Emergency Preparedness and International Health Regulations (CPI), WHO Health Emergency Programme (WHE), World Health Organisation Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt), Manal Elzalabany (0000-0002-2686-8364, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean), Huda Haidar Anan (World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean), Dalia Samhouri (World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean), Richard John Brennan (WHO Health Emergency Programme (WHE), World Health Organisation Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt), Richard Brennan (0000-0002-0449-2730, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean)
Year2022
Volume7
IssueSuppl 4
Pagese008573
Publication date2022-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBMJ Global Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908
PublisherBMJ (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1136/bmjgh-2022-008573
PMID35764350
OpenAlexW4283732530
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited2

The functionality of Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOCs) in countries is vital to their response capacity. The article assesses the status of National PHEOCs in the 22 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. We designed and administered an online survey between May and June 2021. Meetings and Key Informant Interviews were also conducted with the emergency focal points in the WHO country offices and with other select partners. We also collected data on PHEOCs from the Joint External Evaluations conducted in the Region between 2016 and 2018 in 18 countries, and intra-action review mission reports conducted in 11 countries to review the response to COVID-19 during May 2020–June 2021 - and other relevant mission reports. Only 12 countries reported having PHEOC with varying levels of functionality and 10 of them reported using PHEOC for their response operations. This review formed the baseline of capacity requirements of National PHEOC in each country and will facilitate identifying benchmarks of areas of improvement for future national, WHO and partners support

Business · Economic growth · Environmental health · Medical emergency · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Disaster Response and Management · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Nursing · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

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