The Ministry of Health, in conjunction with Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), recentlyconducted a two-day workshop on Health Emergency/Disaster Management Programme Review and Strengthening.
The on-island workshop was facilitated by Dr. Marion Bullock DuCasse, IPC, Health Emergencies (Caribbean Sub-Region), PAHO and included senior members of the Ministry of Health, representatives of various stakeholder organisations, and members of the Health Emergency/Disaster Risk Management Committee.
During the workshops, Dr Bullock-DuCasse updated the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the World Health Organisation (WHO) and PAHO Health Emergencies programs and related frameworks and Plans of Action. The Ministry of Health Emergency and Disaster Management Program was also reviewed, a gap analysis was conducted, and the group established priorities for implementation.
The workshops also provided an opportunity to develop an Action Plan for revising the MOH Health Emergency and Disaster Management Program in keeping with the country commitments and priorities at the national, Sub-Regional, Regional and global levels, including timelines for implementation.
Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP, said of the workshop, “The Bermuda Government places great value on our relationship with PAHO. We are grateful to have them helping us identify the gaps in our health emergency planning and working with the team to develop a road map to strengthen our health emergency and disaster risk management plan. The agenda for the two days was quite robust and provided some essential tools to help execute Bermuda’s action plan.”
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ayoola Oyinloye said, “This is the latest in our continuing collaboration with PAHO/WHO. This 2-day workshop and training gave us the opportunity to assess our preparedness for health emergencies and provided us with information to improve our resilience. We have identified areas for improvement and will be prioritizing this for action going in the future.”