Western Pacific

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have launched a comprehensive report entitled ÔÇ£The Regulation and Management of International Emergency Medical TeamsÔÇØ. The report provides an overview of the issues in regulating and managing international emergency medical teams (also known as ÔÇÿEMTsÔÇÖ) in a range of large and small-scale sudden onset disasters.

The Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) of the Department of Health (DoH) of the Philippines, together with the World Health Organization, concluded recently a series of planning workshops as part of the ÔÇ£Enhancing the Philippine Emergency Medical TeamsÔÇØ project. The project aims to reinforce the current emergency response capacity of the agency and ensure timely mobilization of its resources during disasters .

28 March 2017ÔÇöThirty staff members from the Health Bureau of Macao SAR participated in a two day workshop organized by the WHO Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Initiative. This workshop helped brief health professionals on the mechanisms of an EMT response in the event of a disaster or a disease outbreak.

8 March 2017ÔÇô A mission was conducted by WHO technical teams in Islamic Republic of Iran from 22 to 27 April 2017 to assess and assist the countryÔÇÖs emergency medical team system with the purpose of strengthening the response capacity across all-hazard emergencies. The mission brought together different stakeholders to discuss the most updated global practices and mechanisms.

As Fiji prepares to enter the Cyclone season, representatives from the Ministry of Health, Fiji National Disaster Management Office, first responders from other government departments and agencies have completed a workshop organized by the World Health Organization.

The workshop was aimed at strengthening the national capacity and coordination of the Fiji Emergency Medical Team.

The training also ensured the Fiji Emergency Medical Team will be formally verified as a World Health Organization assured emergency medical team.