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RETA 6305 concludes 2 years of ESR |
LATEST NEWSTrainors on H1N1 now ready to train community health workers nationwide (7 June 2010) Scope and deliverables of RETA 7307 discussed at PSVT workshop in Jakarta (7 June 2010) Dr. Sison to help with project completion review of ADB’s China anti-land degradation project (6 June 2010) PRIMEX experts assist Indonesia, Philippines on developing sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities (6 June 2010) PRIMEX concludes engagement in ADB HIV Project in Indonesia (28 May 2010) Dr. Sison engaged by Oriental Consultants (Japan) for fishing port rehabilitation study (28 May 2010) ADB accepts KBR-PRIMEX’s proposed design of a new irrigation project in the Philippines (28 May 2010) PRIMEX wins new project on CTI, prepares team for key project activities (11 May 2010) PRIMEX to assist in environmental health impact assessment for the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project (11 May 2010) Dr. Sison to lead the design of ADB’s forest management project in Kalimantan, Indonesia (11 May 2010) PRIMEX Consultant to prepare land acquisition and resettlement plans for Kazakhstan road project (11 May 2010)
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Posted on October 31 2008 The project that made unprecedented headways in building the Epidemiologic Surveillance and Response (ESR) capabilities of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines has concluded its two years of implementation with the completion of three critical components strategically tailored to address the identified priority needs and resources of the three countries. ESR is among nine essential public health functions, which national and sub-national health agencies must perform efficiently and effectively in order to provide evidence and information needed for planning, evaluating, and improving their performance. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Regional Technical Assistance for Strengthening Epidemiologic Surveillance and Response (ESR) for Communicable Diseases in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines (RETA 6305) was implemented from June 2006 to August 2008 by PRIMEX with three associate firms: Singapore Health Services, Pte Ltd. (SingHealth), Singapore; PT Trans Intra Asia (TIA), Indonesia; and Health Solutions (HS) Group, Malaysia. In seeking to strengthen the capacity of the three countries to conduct epidemiological surveillance and respond in an effective manner to threats of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) within and across their national borders, the Project accomplished (i) ESR Systems Analysis and Plan Formulation consisting of assessment of ESR systems and formulation of plans and programs based on the results of the prior assessment and securing political support for ESR planning and implementation; (ii) System Development focusing on systems that will strengthen ESR capacity and enable the countries to comply with the requirements of the WHO’s International Health Regulations of 2005 (IHR-2005); and (iii) Capacity Building to Enhance ESR Systems comprising of innovative, small-scale interventions, measures, or activities to enhance the performance of ESR systems, such as the development of a laboratory-based surveillance information system (Malaysia), development of an integrated disease surveillance and response system (Philippines), and pilot-testing of a disease surveillance feedback system (Indonesia). Significant in the completion of the project was the facilitation of country-driven initiatives which helped redefine the directions and sequencing of project activities per country, including among others, the development of respective roadmaps and strategic plans for each country’s compliance with IHR-2005, a new set of WHO guidelines unanimously adopted by the World Health Assembly on 23 May 2005 and enforced on June 2007 for all member states. IHR-2005 aims to "prevent, protect against, control, and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease and avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade." Indonesia, for instance, developed an ESR Roadmap and Strategic Plan for 2008-2012, while Malaysia developed guidelines to help comply with IHR-2005 regulations, reviewed IHR-related issuances like the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Act of 1988, developed an avian flu preparedness plan, and carried out an evaluation of the MOH’s early warning and response (EWAR) functions. The Philippine Department of Health, on the other hand, harmonized and integrated previously uncoordinated and ineffective disease surveillance systems in the country into a comprehensive Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (PIDSR) system, which Health Secretary Francisco Duque hailed as a ‘bedrock of a responsive, effective, and timely disease surveillance system.’ |
