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Human
survival and health are the cross-cutting objectives and the measures of
success of all humanitarian endeavour. Therefore,
WHO poses itself the goal to reduce avoidable loss of life, burden of disease
and disability in emergencies and post-crisis transitions".
This is to be
achieved by:
 Ensuring the presence and operational
capacity in the field to strengthen coordinated Public Health management for
optimal immediate impact, collective learning and health sector
accountability.
Identifying priority health and
nutrition-related issues and ensuring that these are properly addressed in an
integrated primary health care approach that preserves and strengthens local
health system.
Strengthening health and nutrition
surveillance systems to enable monitoring of any changes, early warning of
deterioration, and immediate life-saving action through outbreak response and
technically sound nutrition interventions.
Ensuring control of preventable ill health
particularly communicable and vaccine-preventable diseases.
Ensuring that risks related to the
environment are recognized and properly managed.
Ensuring good quality and access to basic
preventive and curative care including essential drugs and vaccines for all,
with special focus on the especially vulnerable - the elderly, the very
young, pregnant women, the disabled and the chronically ill.
Ensuring that Humanitarian Health
Assistance is in line with international standards and local priorities and
does not compromise future health development.
Advocating and negotiating for secure
humanitarian access, and neutrality and protection of health workers,
services and structures as integral parts of public health promotion.
Ensuring that the lessons learnt in a
crisis are used to improve health sector preparedness for future crises and
disaster reduction.
Defining
an integrated health policy for preparedness, emergency response and
post-conflict, for a coherent health sector development resilient to
emergencies, to link relief efforts with national capacities and initiate
future health system reform.
The EHA Programme of SEARO together with all
of its focal points in all country offices work with the governments as well
as development partners to fulfil these commitments.
WHO has four core functions in emergencies:
Health assessment and tracking: ensuring
proper assessments are undertaken, assessing needs and priorities,
surveillance and monitoring of the impact of humanitarian responses;
Coordinating health action: convening
different actors, exchanging information, ensuring coordination, agreeing
strategies in response to assessments, joint and focused action;
Filling Gaps: identifying gaps in the response
that have a significant impact on survival rates and levels of ill-health,
and ensuring they are filled, including restoring basic public health
functions;
Strengthening local capacity: training,
rehabilitating essential structures, repairing and restarting broken systems,
empowering critical professionals.
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