The health minister of Burundi visits the emergency operations center of EPHI
Dr. Lydwine Baradahana, Burundi’s health minister, and her group paid a visit to the Ethiopian Public Health Institute’s (EPHI) Public Health Emergency Operations Center (EOC). During the trip, Burundi’s Minister of Health, Dr. Lydwine Baradahana, expressed her admiration for the level of digitization at the Emergency Operations Center of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). She commended advanced digital technologies and well-coordinated emergency management organization.
The minister conveyed her genuine desire to enhance communication and collaboration between Ethiopia and Burundi, particularly in the areas of digital health systems and public health emergency management. She emphasized that the two countries must continue their technology cooperation and experience sharing.
Dr. Baradahana expressed her delight with the visit and her appreciation for the comprehensive explanations she and her party received. The visit was conducted at the invitation of H.E. Mekdes Daba, Minister of Health of Ethiopia, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance bilateral collaboration and knowledge exchange in public health emergency management.
The Burundian delegation was given an overview of the Emergency Operations Center’s operations, including its infrastructure, coordination methods, and system operations, by Dr. Melkamu Abte, Deputy Director General of EPHI, during the visit. He gave an overview of the center’s operational structure and gave an example of how national emergency preparedness and response efforts are run. It was revealed during the briefing that the EOC is completely operational and has all the backup mechanisms required to guarantee continuous service in the event of a public health emergency. The Electronic Public Health Emergency Management (e-PHEM) system is used by the EPHI Emergency Operations Center to oversee national emergency response operations. The center can quickly identify and address public health problems since it gets real-time signals and data from all throughout the nation.
Additionally, Dr. Natan Fekrie, surveillance specialist of EPHI’s EOC, gave a thorough explanation of the center’s operational workflow, emphasizing its decision-making procedures, reporting avenues, and surveillance integration.