The activities proposed under this Action are in response to the pandemic of COVID-19, in the first instance, and thereafter to support CARPHA in its role as the gatekeeper of regional health security, and its mandate to lead the health response to public health emergencies like COVID-19.
The African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Programme to strengthen health systems for universal health coverage is the umbrella agreement under which this Action is being undertaken. It has as one of its stated priorities the strengthening of health systems to ensure durable capacities for risk reduction, surveillance, and management of health risks.
Direct/immediate response to COVID-19:
- Procurement and distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to CMS, based on their needs, in response to COVID-19 and other Communicable Diseases
- Procurement and distribution of vaccines and/or other treatments for COVID-19 to CMS
- Strengthening diagnostic testing for Communicable Diseases, including COVID-19, at CARPHA and CARPHA Member States through the procurement of test kits, reagents and consumables as well as new equipment
- Support for management and implementation of quarantine and isolation procedures in CMS and of contact tracing for COVID-19 through capacity building and training
- Support for and promotion of the use of COVID-19 Guidelines and Protocols among public health professionals in CMS through capacity-building and training
- Development of two new modules of CR-FELTP:
- a virtual infectious disease simulation exercise which health practitioners can utilize to train in the principles of outbreak investigation;
- a course for medical practitioners who are on the frontline of dealing with patients
Other interventions to strengthen health systems in the region for health security in the region:
- Support for the implementation of recommendations of assessments of surveillance systems in the region
- Strengthening real-time visitor-based syndromic surveillance through the implementation of the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS) in CMS.
- Support for the implementation of CARPHA’s Biosecurity and Biosafety programme
- Support for the development and implementation of detailed International Health Regulations (IHR) country readiness and implementation plans using the IHR Joint External Evaluation (JEE) Tool
- Support for the execution of simulation exercises on responding to public health emergencies
- Strengthening of risk communication in CARPHA Member States through training in risk communication and the development/revision of country risk communication strategies
- Support for the conduct of research and/or studies on matters related to regional health security, to strengthen public health interventions to prevent, detect and control COVID-19 and other communicable diseases
- Support for the institutional strengthening of CARPHA