Meet held to enhance capacity on health emergency response

Dimapur, Nov. 15 (EMN): The Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) and Sphere India, in collaborative partnership with the department of Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) and Inter Agency Group (IAG) Nagaland, and supported by WHO, UNICEF, WFP and HCL Foundation organised a virtual health co-ordination meeting on November 11.

An update from NSDMA stated that representatives from NSDMA, H&FW, Sphere India, WHO, UNICEF, Faith Based Organisations (FBO) including Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), Nagaland Christian Revival Church Council (NCRCC) and Diocese of Kohima Catholic Church, CIHSR, Childline, Inter Agency Group Nagaland attended the meeting, which was moderated by Khrolou Koza Lohe, NSDMA state training and capacity building officer.

It stated that Dr. Henna Hejazi, senior manager of Sphere India, briefed the participants about the coordination meeting and the objective of the meeting. The key purpose of the meeting, according to him, was to identify gaps and to enhance the capacity in emergency response in Nagaland.

Also speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ashish Dadwal, health specialist from UNICEF NE, gave a presentation on the health priorities of Nagaland basing on the available health data of the state. He also highlighted the overall health indicators of Nagaland.

Dr. Ritu Chauhan, WHO India national programme officer, gave a comprehensive presentation on health preparedness and response and how to take some of the learning from Covid-19 pandemic and use it for the future. He stated that WHO India encourages each state to prepare an after action review and best practices. She further pointed out many approaches for longer health security.

Dr. Nyanthung Kikon, state nodal officer, IDSP, H&FW, spoke on the impact of Covid-19 in Nagaland and how the government is working towards the containment of the pandemic. He stated that contract tracing and surveillance are the bedrock of Covid-19 containment strategies.

Dr. Kikameren Longkumer, deputy director of H&FW, presented on “Strategic health infrastructure for emergencies”. He emphasised on the importance of proper health system with comprehensive risk management approach and stated that a resilient health infrastructure with a robust data and information systems are important to prepare and respond to both acute and chronic threats.

Johnny Ruangmei, OSD to the government of Nagaland, spoke on a multi-sectoral approach to emergency response in the context of Covid-19 pandemic.

He stated that the Covid-19 is the single largest threat to the global health emergencies and global economic crisis. He added that the state preparedness and the ability to manage the pandemic would only secure resilience towards sustainable development.

Chenithung Humtsoe, executive director of Bethesda Youth Welfare Centre and IAG coordinator, spoke on the “Role of NGOs in Nagaland working on the health sector and the work that is being done.” He mentioned the presence of sufficient manpower among the NGOs and also assured its support towards community health resilience.

Vikrant Mahajan, CEO of Sphere India, shared on the way forward. He explained about the network approach to emergency preparedness response, the need to strengthen the IAG, network with the FBOs and CBOs.

During the discussion session, Dr. Sedevi, director of CIHSR, shared inputs on the importance of involving institutes that could contribute significantly for planning in the event of any disaster. The report stated that participants and panellists have discussed many issues pertaining to enhancing the capacity of health emergency response in the state.

Meanwhile, NSDMA and Sphere India have announced to organise a Covid-19 Academy for Nagaland, a virtual platform with 10 sessions for the frontline workers, NGOs, FBOs, and DDMAs. The objective of the Covid-19 Academy is to develop scientific, technical knowledge and understanding about Covid-19 among various stakeholders.