PAHO/WHO to assess Guyana’s progress in achieving int’l health regulations

The first WHO International Health Regulations Voluntary External Evaluation (IHR VEE) to be done locally is expected to provide an international assessment of health regulation across Guyana.
The assessment – which will be conducted during the week – would be conducted in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) using the State Party Self-Assessment Annual Report (SPAR).
At the launch on Monday, Team Lead for the IHR mission, Dr Marlo Libel, disclosed, “Our purpose is to make sure that the Guyanese experts are able to tell us what really is the situation, and how you’d like to address it. It’s a joint effort, and that should be the main purpose of our work.”

The assessment will measure the national progress in achieving 15 IHR core capacities, spanning surveillance, health emergency management and financing, among other things. PAHO/WHO Representative Dr Luis Codina highlighted, “The case is to discuss the gaps, and with that see the future and how can we develop to manage better all the areas… Sometimes the results are not what we expected. It’s normal. This is not the most important focus. The perception of the gaps and challenges for the future should encourage us to change the things that should be changed and discouraged beyond politics.”

The IHR is an instrument of international law that is legally binding on 196 countries, including the 194 WHO Member States. The IHR grew out of the response to deadly epidemics that once overran Europe. They create rights and obligations for countries, including the requirement to report public health events. The Regulations also outline the criteria to determine whether or not a particular event constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern”.
By Friday, a report on the gaps and recommendations to bridge those will be presented by the team. Representatives of the Agriculture Ministry and the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, which work closely with the healthcare sector, were also represented on Monday.
Dr Leslie Ramsammy, Advisor to the Health Minister, has said that the evaluation can provide the much-needed solutions on the way forward. He added that Guyana can become the premiere provider of health services to the entire South American region, but noted it is necessary that all areas that may need improvement, such as disease control, are prioritised.
“We are trying to ensure that we fully implement all the core capacities to build health intelligence, so that we are better prepared to deal with the existential threats that threaten our country and countries around the world, such as climate change, antimicrobial resistance,” Dr Ramsammy said.
He added, “To Guyana’s credit, IHR has occupied a prominent place in our planning. It doesn’t mean that we are at a satisfactory place.”