Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has, in reply to a parliamentary question, given the assurance that SA is initiating measures to protect the country from future pandemics after being ill-prepared in the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak, reports Wyndham Hartley for LegalBrief Policy Watch.
“Several intra-and after-action reviews were conducted at national and provincial levels to appraise the response measures, consolidate experiences gained, and identify areas that needed further improvement and to share lessons learnt.
“Interventions that have resulted in reduced transmission were identified and further replicated to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Gaps in preparedness and response have been identified and are being addressed to enhance capacities to suppress a resurgence of transmission of Covid-19 as well as to prepare for future pandemics,” he said.
IFP MP Magdalena Hlengwa had asked that, given the pandemic exposed how seemingly incapable and ill-prepared the healthcare sector was in handling a situation like that, what preparations his department had made since then to ensure it was capable and ready to handle future pandemics.
Phaahla replied that contingency plans had been developed, that the Notifiable Medical Conditions surveillance system was being implemented with all priority medical conditions, including Covid-19, being monitored through this system. In addition, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases has sentinel surveillance sites in provinces to monitor the incidence of respiratory pathogens (including influenza and Covid-19).
“The WHO has launched the new Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Initiative incorporating the latest tools and approaches for shared learning and collective action established during the Covid-19 pandemic and other recent public health emergencies.
“Through the initiative, WHO will use a mode of transmission approach to guide countries in pandemic planning, given that many capacities and capabilities are common among groups of pathogens. The department has already requested WHO technical support to review our Pandemic Preparedness Plan,” he added.
LegalBrief Today article – Covid-19 steps to protect SA (Restricted access)
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