Ethiopia Officially Launched the NAPHS 2019-2023
Ethiopia officially launched the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) on a ceremony held on March 15, 2019 at the presence of Ministers, Development Partners Organization Heads Representatives including H.E Deputy Prime Minister Ato Demeke Mekonnen.
Dr. Ebba Abate, Director General of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), in his speech on the launching ceremony expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Health and EPHI for the leadership and coordination offered during the preparation of the document, and also for the overall support and leadership by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Minister of Health Dr. Amir Aman, also said that it his belief that this national plan, which is well aligned with the country’s overall health policy, will bring significant improvements to the capacities to prevent, detect and respond to the health threats with benefits extending beyond the health sector.
H.E Deputy Prime Minister Ato Demeke Mekonnen after announcing the official launch of the plan implementation indicated that now the plan is ready of implementation and that we should focus on the implementation process for successful results.
On June 15, 2017, the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) came into force with the aim of enhancing core capacities for Global Health Security, including improving capacities to detect, prevent and respond to Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC) and subsequently reducing the social and economic impact. Going one step further, WHO Member States have adopted the Regional Strategy for Health Security which recommends conducting Joint External Evaluations (JEEs) of core capacities as identified by the IHR. Based on the findings of the JEEs, Member States are also recommended to develop NAPHS.
