Health Minister Wilhelmina Jallah says the recently held Joint External Evaluation (JEE) for International Health Regulations Core Capacities Conference has given insight of what needs to done ahead, thereby expressing Liberia’s preparedness for health emergencies.
She said, among many things, that preparedness for future health emergencies shall continue, as the importance of making Liberia a safe place of health for all cannot be overemphasized.
Jallah made these comments last Friday, September 8, during the closing ceremony of a weeklong Joint External Evaluation (JEE) for International Health Regulations Core Capacities Conference. The one week gathering brought together over 150 delegates (health experts) from local and international institutions.
In similar accord, National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) Deputy Director General for Technical Services, Julius Gilayeneh, reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment in an effort of keeping the population safe through one health policy.
He said the country will continue working with international partners for the improvement or support to the health sector, stating that there is a long way to go, but is optimistic that the health for all policy is achievable.
Gilayeneh indicated that Liberia has moved a step forward in its preparedness to respond to health emergencies or any outbreak in the country.
He then paid tribute to various institutions like the World Bank (WB), World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United States Agency for International Development of the Center for Disease Control (USAID-CDC), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), for their support to Liberia’s health sector.
Others are local institutions like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Agriculture Ministry, the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), Liberia Immigration Services (LIS), the National Health workers, known as front-liners in the fight against diseases, Health Ministry and National Public Health Institute of Liberia itself, Forestry Development Authority (FDA), National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), and many more.
Meanwhile, the country has made improvements in all the 19 technical areas of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) tools that were assessed. Liberia first completed a self-assessment using the JEE tool. The results of this assessment, including self-assessed scores for the 19 technical areas, were then presented to the External Evaluation Team (EET).
The EET and host country experts participated in a facilitated discussion to jointly assess Liberia’s current strengths, areas which need strengthening, and priority actions; scores were developed through a process of consensus.
Technical area scores, supporting information, and specific recommendations for policy actions are provided under technical area sections.
