[ Geneva. Switzerland. 19 Jan 2011. ] PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses will deliver a briefing session about the perspectives from PAHO/WHO of the International Health Response to HAITI during the celebration of the 128th WHO-EB session. Dr. Roses will be highlighting important issues related to the International Health Response after one year of the devastating earthquake and 3 months later of the cholera outbreak in Haiti.
Briefing session by PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses during the celebration of the 128th WHO Executive Board session.
During her presentation PAHO Director will focus on the lessons to be learned and general recommendations to consider bringing a more immediate implementation of public health measures to deliver a more effective health care, concerning health cluster approach and improving health humanitarian response in general.
The situation of Haiti has pushed the international system beyond its limit after the earthquake and after the cholera outbreak. The response needs to be widely and partnership integrated and strongly endorsed by the national governments. A key challenge has been coordinating the 400+ organizations and agencies participating in the health response to the earthquake and the cholera epidemic.
 The health impacts of the occurrence of such phenomena are gradually being integrated in a cross-cutting disaster risk management approach, which must imperatively cover the whole range of measures to address prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and post disaster recovery and rehabilitation. This requires efforts form states, international agencies and NGOs to outline policies and assign resources where is evident the importance of the strengthening and the development of the strategies for emergency preparedness, capacity building to respond to major disasters and health risks which play an important role in the strengthening of national health emergency and disaster management capacities and resilience of health systems.
PAHO is working in a publication that should be ready this year as a substantial contribution of PAHO at analyzing humanitarian response at the light of the Haiti disaster that will orient AMRO’s (PAHO) cooperation in the Americas, as well to contribute to enhance WHO capacity and resources to provide the necessary technical guidance and support to Member States and partners for developing health emergency and disaster risk management programmes to a better operational response.
For more information, contact Diaz, Katia (WDC), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Office of the Director.
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