The Ministry of Health and Sanitation and partners has ended a two-day Training on One Health – National Emergency Risk Communication Strategies at Apex Bank Complex Blama road in Kenema. The training brought together communication officers across the nation in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Environment Protection Agency and representative from the Office of National Security. The Public Health Promotion Communications Lead / Senior Health Education Officer Harold Thomas told his audience that the One Health National Emergency Risk Communication Strategies Plan marks a new beginning of risk communication to prevent and contain emergency situation in Sierra Leone and the West Africa sub region. He said the 2014 to 2016 Ebola outbreak highlighted the crucial roles coordination and communication among government services and partners played along with community engagement to address social and behavioral norms in brining end to the epidemic. Recognizing the benefit of that collaboration and aiming to strengthen it further, the One Health platform was launched in Sierra Leone in June 2017 with the support of the Office of National Security.
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The launch of the platform laid the initial bricks of a foundation for establishing and strengthening coordination, collaboration and communication between the human, animal, and environmental health sectors and partners by better health outcomes. He stressed that this One Health National Emergency Risk Communication Strategies Plan contributes to Sierra Leone’s preparedness and response efforts by proposing a standing One Health Risk Communication Multi-sectoral Coordination Mechanism (MCM) consisting of the lead persons tasked with communication from the three key One Health entities, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Environment Protection Agency. A representative of the Office of National Security will also be a member. The purpose of this MCM is to facilitate consistent Communication across partners and inform the design of messages and activities to raise awareness, promote healthy behaviors, and mobilize communities to take action during any emergency. Having credible communication developed prior to an emergency across the sectors not only aids in strengthening prevention and preparedness among communities but also, in the event of an outbreak or emergency, allow the government and preparedness among communities but also, in the event of an outbreak or emergency, allows the government to quickly adapt existing messages to address the situation before its spreads. The District Medical Officer Kenema Donald Grant expressed satisfaction for the training adding the One Health National Emergency Risk Communication Strategies Plan will go a long way in putting under control any outbreak of any emergency across the nation. He called on participants to judiciously make use of the knowledge gained in the interest of national development.
By: Saffa B. Moriba in Kenema
Wednesday August 14, 2019.
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