PHOTO: Participants pose for group photo at the end of the launching ceremony
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) in collaboration with the African Center for Disease Control has launched the event-based surveillance technical guideline in Monrovia.
Speaking during the launching ceremony held at a local hotel in Monrovia over the weekend, NPHIL Director General, Dr. Dougbe Chris Nyan cautioned partners to use the guideline so as to reduce the spread and casualties during an outbreak of epidemic in the country.
According to Dr. Nyan, the guidelines do not only cover diseases such as Ebola and M-Pox that are known to be frequent on the African Continent, but those are common in tropical areas on the continent.
The NPHIL Director General thanked partners, members of the surveillance technical committee from various ministries, agencies and international partners who worked on the guidelines.
Performing the launching ceremony, the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Catherine Cooper, who performed launching on behalf of Health Minister, Dr. Louise Kpoto, said the Ministry of Health has seen Liberia moving towards better preparedness in readiness for outbreak including incorporating other partners such the one health public platform.
According to her, Liberia is making progress gradually to be more responsive by strengthening the country’s data system and build the human resource capacities.
“Liberia is on the pathway of becoming the center of excellence because government and partners have invested so much in the surveillance systems,” she said; adding: “Our health systems are in readiness in responding to an outbreak and on time.”
For his part, the Regional Director for West Africa at the African Center for Disease Control, Dr. Alinon Kokou appealed to the Health Ministry and NPHIL to work together in combating the outbreak of diseases in the country.
According to Dr. Kokou, the performance of Liberia in combating outbreak of diseases is the reason that this country is set to be chosen as the center of excellence on controlling and combating out break on the African Continent.
Remarking, the Acting Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Yarkpawolo pledged his institution’s willingness to work with the NPHIL and MOH in combating diseases in the country.
As for the Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency, Ansu Dorley assured the participants that the disaster agency will endeavor to work in whatever way they want as long as it in the interest of the Liberian people.
The program brought participants from the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Health, the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, the Liberia National Police, among many others.