Through its Public Health Emergency Management Center (PHEMC), EMPHNET has been supporting countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to build their emergency rapid response capacities to public health events. As part of this support, a project was initiated after a sub-regional assessment was conducted for three countries: Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan. The Capacity assessment highlighted the need to build the countries’ rapid response structure and management capacities. For this reason, EMPHNET, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), utilizing a systematic approach to building emergency response capacity, supported these countries to establish Rapid Response Teams’ (RRT) management programs at the national level. This included a rapid response management training and development of RRT Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure sustainable and effective RRT program operationalization.

SOPs are written documents that delineate steps for regularly recurring operations to be conducted consistently. The use of SOPs can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of response mechanisms. In addition, they preserve institutional knowledge beyond the individuals who regularly follow the SOPs.

The project also includes building a roster that allows for identification and selection of members of specific roles and skills required to respond in the field. Upon finalization of RRT Management training and the RRT SOPs development, a Stakeholder Engagement Meeting for SOP Formalization was conducted in each country for stakeholders to review and finalize the recently developed SOPs for the national RRT. This will ensure alignment of SOPs with the current national regulations which in turn will facilitate the operationalization of the program.

This support responds to the increased need to build such capacities to effectively respond to public health events.

For more information on EMPHNET’s projects under its Public Health Emergency Management, click here.