Date: 2017-10-06 10:57:49 ID: 1720
Banjul, THE GAMBIA – From 4 to 5 October, the Director General of WAHO, Dr Xavier CRESPIN, accompanied by the Director of the Department for Disease and Epidemics Control, Dr Carlos BRITO, and his Deputy Mr Janneh Hadijatou, undertook a working visit to The Gambia, the first of its kind since new authorities came to power.
The objective is to discuss with the authorities the establishment of the National Coordination Institution (NCI), the national platform for the “ONE HEALTH” approach and the ECOWAS Assembly of Health Ministers meeting scheduled for the first quarter of 2018 in Banjul.
The Head of State of The Gambia received the DG in the presence of the Minister of health at the Presidential Palace. He informed the Head of State about the various decisions taken by the ECOWAS conference of Heads of State and Government; decisions which have not yet been implemented in The Gambia. These are the establishment of the NCIs for disease control and surveillance, the “ONE HEALTH” national platform and the Abuja declaration on earmarking a budget for the health sector. The DG reassured the Head of State of the readiness of WAHO to support the efforts of the State in the area of health.
Earlier on, the DG successively met the Minister of foreign affairs in charge of the Regional Integration and the Minister of health and social protection. With the two personalities, Dr CRESPIN discussed the issues mentioned above and the need for Gambia to negotiate with the World Bank for the West Africa project on Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancements (REDISSE), just as other ECOWAS member States have done, to strengthen the health system for better prevention, diagnosis and more effective respond to recurrent epidemics.
The DG also discussed the impending meeting of the Assembly of Health Ministers (AHM) in Banjul. He recalled the provisions of the terms of reference for the host country and the expected support from WAHO towards the organisation of this important ECOWAS statutory event.
During the various technical meetings, particularly with the Minister of health and members of his cabinet, the DG presented the regional epidemiological background and some major interventions currently implemented in the region. Thus, he pointed out that disease control and prevention of epidemics remain the principal concerns and priorities for WAHO and ECOWAS. “That is why the 47th ECOWAS conference of Heads of State and Government, which met in Accra on 19 May 2015, approved the establishment of the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control and Surveillance (ECOWAS/RCDCS) with the headquarters in Nigeria and the network of National Coordination Institutions (NCI) in each member State”, indicated Dr Crespin.
He pointed out that the ECOWAS/RCDCS is the regional branch of the Africa CDC, and adopts the “One Health” approach. Its mission is to identify, evaluate and communicate current and emerging threats to human health and mobilise the response. Its principal mode of interaction with member States is through the NCIs, which should be established in each of the 15 member States of ECOWAS.
He recalled that the NCI is a national body which will be responsible for coordination by networking national competencies in the four major areas of intervention, which are: (1) surveillance and early warning; (2) strengthening of laboratories; (3) the establishment of the rapid intervention task force; and finally (4) training and research.
The DG of WAHO advocated for the rapid establishment of this institution in The Gambia. He informed the authorities that following an evaluation undertaken by WAHO and the NGO CORDS, WAHO will provide support towards the review of existing legal instruments and the revision of technological and operational tools of the NCI in The Gambia to enable the institution fully play its role. Meanwhile, the DG indicated that it was an approach dealing with public health events and the risks arising from the Man-Animal-Ecosystem interface. Strategies, initiatives and tools exist already, such as the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organisation, tools of the World Organisation for Animal Health designed to evaluate the performance of Veterinary Services, and the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). He added that countries should take steps to adequately implement them. The DG made a second plea for the establishment of the “One Health” national platform, in line with the decision of the Heads State in December 2016.
The DG ended his working visit by meeting the CORDS team to discuss the principal results of the evaluation and the next steps, with a view to supporting the Gambia.