Planning for Health Emergency Management First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Learning Objectives By the end of this module, the participant should be able to:  Describe the steps of emergency response planning process in terms of inputs, outputs and outcomes  Create flowcharts for emergency response planning  To identify the various plans that must be developed and the harmonization between them

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman The differences: Policy – what must be done Guidelines – how to implement the policy – technical how Procedures – how to implement the policy – administrative how Protocols - step-by-step instructions to perform a given activity Plan – who does what when to implement policy

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman The relationship: Mandates are needed to set policies Policies are needed to define guidelines and set procedures Guidelines and procedures are needed to make plans “Policy for health emergency management is set at the national or sub-national level, it is executed at the local level”

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Policy - All victims of all sorts of emergencies or disasters shall be searched, rescued, and managed timely and appropriately Guidelines – Case Definition of victims; Guidelines on search, rescue, and case management Procedures – Procedures of patient referral; emergency procurement of drugs and medicines Plans - Emergency Manager responsible for triaging; Details on who does what, responsible persons; plan changes from one facility to another; Example:

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman 6 THE CONTEXT OF COMMUNITY RISK MANAGEMENT Public Safety Risk Management Hazard Prevention Vulnerability Reduction Emergency Preparedness Emergency Management Damage Assessment & Needs Analysis Hospital Planning Shelter & Security Food & Nutrition Epidemiology & Reporting Media & Public Information Control of Communicable Disease Reproductive Health Psychosocial Needs Medical Supplies & Logistics Water & Sanitation Mass Casualty Management Curative Care Recovery and Rehabilitation safer communities +

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Policy, guidelines, procedures National level Community level Develop and implement Preparedness programs Vulnerability reduction plans Emergency response plans National & provincial levels = support communities in their work Mobilise extra-resources International org & assistance Provincial level Special plans From Policy, Guidelines and Procedures to Community Plans

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman What are the Emergency Management Plans?  Emergency Preparedness Program/Plan o Hazard Reduction Program o Vulnerability Reduction Program o Emergency Preparedness (Capacity Building Program)  Emergency Response Plan  Contingency Plan  Business Continuity Plan  Recovery/Rehabilitation Plan

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Defining the various plans: National Plan –  multi-sectoral plan  developed for the situations that are not under the direct responsibility of regional and local authorities  coordination, resource mobilization, information management  includes contingency plan  includes all the regional plans

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Defining the various plans: Regional Plan –  multi-sectoral plan  developed for the situations that are not under the direct responsibility of local authorities  coordination, resource mobilization, information management, service delivery  includes contingency plan  includes all the local plans

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Defining the various plans: Local Plan –  multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary plan  developed for local situations  operationalize the national policy and guidelines  coordination, resource mobilization, information management, service delivery, etc.  includes contingency plan  includes business continuity plan

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman National Plan Regional Plan Local Plan

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Community Risk Management Plan Provincial Emergency Disaster Plans National Emergency Disaster Plan Hazard Specific Plans Agencies Specific Plans (hospitals) Sectoral Plans Intersectoral in nature Context of emergency plans for a community

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Disaster Management is: 80% generic15% specific5% unique to all disastersto the hazardto the event 1. Organization EOC earthquake time coordination large numbers of trapped and injured place communications large numbers of homeless and displaced weather transport large numbers of dead and missing logistics and suppliesgeography information and media dead, injured and missing staff climate reporting and surveillance damaged critical infrastructure / resources (hospitals, vehicles) loss of water, gas, electricity, phone, transport, fuel networks security 2. Response loss of road, sea, air, rail infrastructure / access search and rescuepolitics evacuation long period of SAR, victim extraction economy mass casualty management high demand for FA, stretchers, triage, medical transport governance management of dead and missing high demand for beds, surgery, blood products, referral security wound infections, amputations, tetanus, dust inhalation emergency management capacity temporary shelter, clothing and utensils high demand for orthotics, prosthetics, disability, dental logistics capacity emergency water, sanitation and energy demand for specialized spinal and head injury care disposal of inappropriate donations emergency food supplies high demand for temporary shelter, food, utensils, stoves, emergency public and environmental health water, energy, clothing, tents, blankets leadership emergency engineering and public works high demand for psychosocial support of victims and staff solidarity management of donated supplies / foreign teamsmorale 3. Recovery few outbreaks of communicable diseases corruption variable demand for medicines and equipment crime curative and public health care (acute / chronic injury care - high, infectious disease - low, looting education potentially unstable chronic disease - medium) agriculturecompensation claims trade and commerce contamination of water, air and soil insurance claims toxic chemical, sewerage and gas leaks / spills 4. Rehabilitation and Reconstruction urban fires, explosions ownership disputes people contaminated, infested and unsafe foods property disputes property increased vector breeding services livelihoods loss of livelihoods, markets, distribution networks environment THIS IS WHAT WE PLAN FOR ….

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Planning for Emergencies Planning based on risk analysis is planning for any emergency, by predicting:  what might happen  when it might happen  where it might occur  how big it might be  what effect it might have  how long it might last (emergency + recovery period)  What are the strategies to respond and recover

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Main characteristics  Clear responsibilities (who, what, when, how, with whom, where)  All key stakeholders need to be involved in the planning process, including: agencies with disaster responsibilities community members / groups Institutions and legal authorities  Relevant to emergency events: large scale; complex; relatively rare; hard to predict  Consequences of poor decisions can be acute  Scrutiny of mistakes is often in detail and in public

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman The following sectors are involved in the emergency planning process: Essential Services communications police relief and rescue health social welfare transport public works also agriculture, media, education, fire, ambulance, engineering, meteorology

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Health Sector Response Plan must deal with…..  Casualty management (first aid, triage, transport, pre-hospital care, in-patient care, out-patient care)  Communicable disease control (surveillance, tracking, treatment, prophylaxis, isolation and quarantine)  Continuity of delivery of critical services for emergency patients  Management of the dead and missing  Management of information (public information; support activities; health info system)  Mental health  Environmental health  Reproductive health  Public health programs (continuity of essential programs)

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman THE EMERGENCY PLANNING PROCESS

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Elements of Hospital Preparedness, Response and Recovery Plan I. Background II. Plan description III. Goals and objectives IV. Planning Group V. Emergency Preparedness Plan  Hazards prevention  Vulnerabilities reduction  Risk reduction (capacity development) VI. Management Structures VII. Roles and responsibilities

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Elements of Hospital Preparedness, Response and Recovery Plan VIII. Response Plan  Policies, guidelines, procedures, protocols for the developed systems  Response, Contingency, Business Continuity plan IX.Recovery and Reconstruction Plan  Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis  Post-incident evaluation  Recovery and rehabilitation Plan based on lessons learned X. Annexes Glossary Abbreviations Directory of contact persons Inventory of resources of hospital and partner agencies Hospital policies, guidelines, protocols, and other issuances relevant to emergency or disaster management

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Form Planning Group Hazard Analysis Develop Strategies and Systems Describe Management Structure Describe Roles and Responsibilities Emergency Planning Process Define the plan Analyze resources “Hospital Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Plan Development ‘08” Vulnerability Analysis Risk Analysis Problems/Gaps Analysis

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman The Planning Process  Determine the authority responsible for the process  Establish a planning committee and objectives; management structure of the process  Assign responsibilities  Conduct a risk assessment - hazards and community vulnerabilities (core elements)  Identify and analyse capacities and resources  Stakeholders analysis  Develop strategies, emergency management systems and arrangements  Document the plan  Test the plan;  Disseminate the plan  Review and update the plan on a regular basis

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Background 1.Name of the agency and address 2.Geographic description (location: Low lying area? Etc.) 3.Demographic profile of catchments communities 4.Community Profile 5.Health statistics (IMR, MMR, etc.) 6.Health facilities found in the municipality/city 7.Available health services 8.Manpower complementation 9.Disasters responded/managed 10.Legal issuances establishing authority in HEM

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Significance: a.Picture of the site and location of the hospital b.Catchments areas provided with hospital services c.Health resources in and around the hospital d.Existing capacity and capability of the hospital e.Partner agencies around the hospital f.Anticipated hazards as basis for hospitals’ capacity and capability building

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Define Plan  Determine the aim, objectives and scope of the planning process  Identify the tasks to be performed, and the resources needed  Identification of the framework in which emergencies will be managed  legislation policy and guidelines must be considered  and the resources that will be required:  stakeholders / agencies, etc.

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Plan Definition  B rief description of the content of the plan  Specific intentions relevant to set goals and objectives.  Include the coverage, scope and limitations.  Include the legal basis whereby the hospital is authorized to act in disaster situations  Legal issuances detailing the roles and functions of hospitals in managing all phases of emergencies or disasters

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Scope of the Plan Significance:  Who will implement the plan  Extent of implementation including limitations Goals and Objectives  Give the purpose of the plan from a broader to more specific perspectives.

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Review Planning Group/Committee  Key Stake-holders to be represented  multi-disciplinary teams are essential to ensure sufficient expertise  must have appropriate authority  political and economic circumstances may influence choice of members  social and cultural issues must be considered  there must be an efficient reporting system

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Planning Group/Committee  Planning Committee include major stakeholders  Permanent or “AD HOC Group” which convenes only for emergency planning purposes.  This group shall be created through an order.  Roles and functions of the planning group/committee  Develops, reviews and updates the HEPRRP  Gathers required information and gain commitment of key people and organizations  Initiates testing of the plan for its functionality and adaptability to current situation i.

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Example of Planning Committee Structure Director/Designate Representative from areas of operation Representative from Administrative Division Representative from Planning Division Representative from the Finance Division

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Risk Analysis  planning group should know result of vulnerability analysis (at least core elements)  technique for identifying preventive and mitigation strategies; response and recovery strategies for identified problems  systematic breakdown of the problem into its components  techniques involves: o hazard analysis / vulnerability/risk assessment / developing response and recovery strategies / mitigation

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman  An integrated set of long-term, multi- sectoral development activities Emergency Preparedness Program – Reminder

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Goal: to achieve an increasing level of “readiness” within communities to cope with any situation which demands an emergency response, using their own resources. This requires the development and maintenance of : 1.Political authority, policy for EM 2.Plans and Procedures for EM and Recovery training and education 3.Institutional and human resources for EM 4.Public awareness & education 5.System for the collection, analysis and distribution of information related to emergencies Emergency Preparedness Program

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman ANATOMY OF COMMUNITY RISK MANAGEMENT hazard community vulnerability readiness multisectoral, all hazards Community risk indicators: probability scale/magnitude/ strength/intensity spread duration biological hazards: season, infectivity, latency, transmission resistance, etc. natural phenomena famine diseases of epidemic potential events/crowds intoxification infestations transport accidents structural failures industrial accidents chemical accidents pollution refugees war terrorism Prevention & Mitigation Programme   = = People: access to health care measles vaccination under 5 nutrition under 5 mortality access to clean water access to sanitation adequate housing employment/ income female literacy Property: health infrastructure vehicles medical supplies Services: curative care services ambulance services public health services health info system Environment: water/soil/air quality Vulnerability Reduction Programme policy, plans, procedures knowledge, skills, attitudes resources legislation national & sectoral policy administrative procedures response & recovery plans preparedness plans technical guidelines management structure institutional managements information systems warning systems human resources material resources financial resources simulations & training education public information community participation research publications Emergency Preparedness Programme risk of: death injury (mental/ physical) disease (mental/physical) loss of life displacement loss of property loss of income secondary hazards breakdown in security damage to infrastructure breakdown in services Contamination Community Risk Management

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Emergency Preparedness Program Plan to build response capacity: 1.Policies, Protocols, Guidelines and Procedures 2.Plans 3.People (Human Resource development) 4.Promotion and Advocacy 5.Partnership Building 6.Physical (Facility Enhancement) 7.Program Development 8.Practices documentation 9.Peso (Finance) and Logistics 10.Package of Services

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Resource Analysis why?  to ensure that PRR strategies can be supported  to ensure that preparedness is coordinated  to ensure cooperation between agencies  to know who is responsible for supplying

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Organizational Capacity  implemented selectively by those agencies which have been delegated that responsibility by the Government or by the community  it is vital that…..agencies……  professionally managed  adequately resourced  highly trained  demonstrated competence  emergency management family

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Assessment of Response Capacity of the Health Sector  mandate and authority to deliver relief (scope of responsibility)  management and command structure (coordination among stakeholders)  competencies of staff (knowledge and skills and ability)  the availability and accessibility of information  the existence and relevance of plans  the existence and relevance of procedures  the networking of the plans of the Health Sector with the plans of the other sectors

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Step 5: Roles and Responsibilities  should be defined & described to ensure that each organization knows precisely what is expected of it and that everyone is aware of the general roles of all relevant organizations  multi-sectoral approach for national disaster plan  key issues: o Information management o resource management o evacuation o specific situation such as hazardous material…

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Emergency Response Plan It is important to have Emergency Response Plan:  to have an orchestrated, timely, and appropriate response actions  to save lives and reduce sufferings of the affected population

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Emergency Response Plan A plan containing description of:  Responsibilities  Command & coordination mechanism  Management structures  Resource management  Information management and communication  Training and exercises

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Difference between Emergency Response Planning and Routine Planning  ERP focuses on: Coordination and management systems of resources from several sectors emergency management and incident management systems Management of information  arrangements for intra-sectoral and inter-sectoral coordination of activities and mobilization of resources (surge capacity)  What are the characteristics of routine planning in your field of activity?

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Key characteristics of an ERP Emergency Response Plan and Recovery Plan  an agreed set of arrangements for responding to, and recovering from emergencies  plans involve the description of responsibilities management structures resource and information management Logistics management Training and exercises  plans focus on protecting life, property and environment  outcomes

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Core Elements of an Emergency Response Plan Management Structures Incident Commander Public Info. Officer Liaison Officer Safety Officer Operations LogisticsPlanning Administrative/ Finance “Hospital Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Plan Development ‘08”

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman A response plan will define and discuss : a line of authority and clear responsibilities of all the stakeholders involved the management systems: ICP; EOC; EEC the communications system alert and warning mechanisms public information arrangements resource management (human, financial and material) Monitoring, reporting and accounting arrangements Emergency Response Plan Development

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Core Elements of an Emergency Response Plan Emergency Response Policies, Guidelines, Procedures and Protocols a.Activation of Code Alert System b.Activation of the Plan c.Incident Command System d.Activation of the EOC e.Information Management System f.MHPSS g. Security system h.Public Information System i. Coordination, networking and referral system j. Provision of public health services

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Core Elements of an Emergency Response Plan Emergency Management Policies, Guidelines, Procedures and Protocols k. Infection Control l. System to upscale services in case of surge of patients m. System on drills/simulation exercises n. Stockpiling of emergency medicines and supplies o. Logistics management system p. Decontamination procedures q. Management of the dead and missing persons during disasters

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Core Elements of an Emergency Response Plan Emergency Management Policies, Guidelines, Procedures and Protocols p. restoration of critical services a.Electrical supply and back-up generators b.Drinking water supply and alternate sources c.Fuel reserves d.Back-up communication system e.Wastewater and solid waste water treatment f.Fire suppression q. SOP on managing volunteers and donations

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Recovery and Reconstruction Plan  Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis  Post-incident Management  Medium-term and long term recovery, reconstruction, and development plan  Multi-sectoral initiative (education, agriculture, public works etc.)

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Next Actions 1. Write the Plan and have it approved by the head of the agency. The Plan is not a plan until written and approved by the head of agency 2. Disseminate the plan to all the stakeholders and staff. Everyone needs to know the plan so that in emergency no one would ever say, “he does nothing cause he knows nothing”. 3.Test the plan. The plan is believed to be effective only when it is tested, be able to know its functionality, acceptability, and doability in the hands of the implementers. 4.Update the plan 4.Implement the plan. 5. Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the plan 6. Review and update the plan regularly.

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman After the Plan has been developed It is essential to:  simulate an emergency to test the plan  familiarise all staff with the plan  brief all new staff about the plan  familiarise local government, emergency services and the community with the plan  train those staff with special roles and responsibilities in the plan  review and update the plan after an emergency, after each simulation and whenever new resources are acquired  conduct regular exercises

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Evaluate the Plan How do we know a plan is a functional plan?  it meets the national planning criteria and policy ?  it conforms to the national planning format ?  it has been developed through a true emergency planning process (from vulnerability analysis up to participation of end-users) ?  it is tested, validated and regularly exercised ?  all key staff are familiar with the details of the plan and know their responsibilities ?  WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ADD?

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Other areas of enquiry: 1.Timeliness (as well as appropriateness) 2. Connectedness (and coordination) 3. Coherence (fits into the medium and long term plans of the government) 4. Preparedness ( preparedness activities and the effectiveness of the activities undertaken) 5.Evaluating the effectiveness of emergency preparedness programmes in normal times

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Outputs of the intersectoral emergency planning process  A set of emergency response plans – who does what when using existing capacity: search and rescue plan evacuation / temporary shelter plan mass casualty plan / hospital plans sectoral relief plans (food, water, health, lifelines etc.) security plans Mitigation; EWS (MCM: all hazards)  A disaster recovery and reconstruction plan (education, agriculture, public works etc.)

INPUTPROCESSOUTPUT Resource Requirement Strategies/ Activities Performance Indicators EVALUATION (Intervention) Effectiveness Efficiency Relevance Impact Connectedness Coherence Preparedness Coverage Timeliness OUT- COME Impact Indicators MONITORING

Evaluation Process INPUTPROCESSOUTPUT Resource Requiremen t Strategies/ Activities Performance Indicators EVALUATION (Intervention) Effectivenes s Efficiency Relevance Impact Connectedness Coherence Preparedness Coverage Timeliness OUT- COME Impact Indicators

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Effectiveness  achieving objectives  doing the right thing right  includes cost- effectiveness Efficiency  doing it right with as few resources as possible (effort, time, money, people, material)

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Relevance/Appropriateness  doing the right thing in the right way at the right time Impact  doing the right thing  changing the situation more profoundly and in longer term Coverage  the extent to which interventions reach the intended target population  linked to effectiveness

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Outcomes of the emergency planning process The planning process is a sequence of steps whereby a planning entity (e.g. government, community) agrees on ways to enhance and protect its own safety. It is an interactive and iterative process that should lead to:  better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all members of the community in prevention, mitigation, and response  greater awareness of risk reduction in the community  higher levels of readiness to respond and to recover  an emergency response plan and a recovery plan (and contingency plans when relevant)  increased public safety (including for the health sector such as safer hospitals, etc.)

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Common Planning Mistakes  the plan (paper document) is given more importance than the planning process itself  not key community members (or staff of the institutional plan) are aware of the existence of a plan  revision is overlooked  emergency planning is not integrated into normal activities (integration strategy) whenever possible  different plans are developed for different hazards by different agencies – the all hazards approach should be preferred (no synergy; no compatibility)  no or weak training programs  what do you want to add?

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Common Planning Mistakes Plans are out of date as soon as they are published PLANS NEED REGULAR REVIEW Procedures, policies and guidelines are needed to guide the planning process at local level

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Emergency Risk Management – Principles for Agencies goal : to increase efficiency, effectiveness, readiness and integration of the agency into the overall organization of the emergency management process and system

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Principles for Agencies and emergency planning needs Objectives :  to improve the decision making process at all levels (within agency)  to facilitate the choice of the most suitable strategies  to rely on specific decision making procedures  to ensure efficient communication : – internal and external  to ensure safety and well being of staff /community  to promote and preserve the activities efficiency : synergy, complementarities, adaptability, cooperation  to promote adequate training : personnel / exercises….

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Define the ERM policy of the Agency Enter the planning process (ERM) Allocation of required resources of all kind Implementation: activities – role - functions Monitoring – reevaluation process ERM process for an Agency Risk management and Planning - Principles for Agencies

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Group Work Activity Develop a Health Emergency Preparedness Program, Response Plan, and Recovery Plan for your respective area of responsibility: 1.Local Plan 2.Regional Plan 3.National Plan For academic purposes, choose a hazard to work on (All- hazard Approach)

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Updating the information on hazard and vulnerabilities... Why Emergency Response Plans must be regularly revised ?  update the current political, social and economic situation  update hazard reduction, emergency preparedness and vulnerability reduction activities in all sectors and by all organisations  update changes in resources, systems and procedures  update early warning information system

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman 68 Early warning information...links with Response Plans The emergency response plans are useful only :  when they are activated  they are relevant and functional  They are efficiently used So the early activation of the response plans is essential. In many emergencies there is a time frame which allows for early activation (floods; displacement of populations; anticipated cold wave, start of an outbreak, etc.) and for developing further mitigation measures (early warning is critical)

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman The Roles of National Government (1) The role of national authorities is to support local planning processes by establishing the planning framework:  setting national policies for risk reduction, emergency preparedness, emergency response and disaster recovery  issuing technical guidelines and administrative procedures for the process of planning and for the implementation of the policy (contents of the plans, etc.)  developing national plans (multi-sectoral; sectoral; contingency) for those situations that are not under the direct responsibility of local authorities

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman The Roles of National Government (2)  developing procedures for how national resources can be deployed in an emergency  allocating funds to support the development of new local capacity and for local risk reduction  planning for those hazards that are not the primary responsibility of local government e.g. Security  international cooperation and assistance WHAT ARE THE PRESENT CONSTRAINTS IN YOUR COUNTRY ?

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Main responsibilities of MOH in emergency planning  Reduce the vulnerabilities of its own infrastructures andsystems: hospital mitigation; EMS System; etc.  Raise awareness first of the health staff then of the general public (in collaboration with other sectors)  Reduce health consequences of crisis and major emergencies (core function of the health sector). A “health emergency management program/unit” should be institutionalised within the MOH; development of emergency response plans  Assume its normative role and lead function (guidance) in health (emergency preparedness and risk management)

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman Overall strategy of the MOH  Integration strategy  Vulnerability reduction and hazard mitigation  Community risk management framework  Inter-sectoral cooperation  Planning based on existing resources (all types)  Decentralization of the response capacity  Community participation (and end-users)  Institutionalization of an emergency/disaster Unit within the MOH

First National Course on Public Health Emergency Management 12 – 23 March Muscat, Oman THANK YOU