Skip to main content

International Health Regulations

 The International Health Regulations (IHR) provide a framework and predictable structure for countries. Implementation of core components is measured, preferably annually, and the response rate in 2018 was a successful 96%.

In October 2021, WHO referenced IHR when formulating 7 recommendations for resilience in health [1]

With IHR, global health sets unspoken expectations. However, we cannot anticipate IHR to be consistently interpreted, let alone adopted and accepted as necessary, without respect for individualism in countries. 

Completing a survey as a side thought versus completing a survey with full investment in healthcare improvement are two very different activities. Let’s do better to ensure full investment of IHR with every country, by being welcomed into countries.


In their space:  

* Create focused leadership groups with the SPAR and survey responders, grouped by country and region. https://extranet.who.int/e-spar/#submission-details

* Create focused leadership groups for those not responding to the survey; ask for country representatives with response failures. 

* Cultivate a team of national champions. 

* Task countries with IHR components, indicators and attribute review. Which metrics are deemed unnecessary? What metrics are missing and should be included? Once this feedback has been received, make sincere changes and utilize evidence for support. [2] 

* Provide a liaison to support epidemiological needs.

* Provide a liaison to support cost analyses. What are costs necessary to implement the indicators? How can funding be detailed in ask and supported through global networks? 

* Be assertive and respectful regarding national security. What are the national security concerns to data reveal and how can countries work to assure and address issues?

* Gain insight on what professional credentials for IHR representation would look like, by country. 

*Assess the progress of IHR work by asking countries directly. The 2/3 of IHR-tasked countries  still unable to perform the main functions of assess, detect, and respond (about 132 of the 196 countries) should be addressed. What are recommendations for an international, coordinated strategy, nearly twenty years after initiation (2005), to help these ~132 countries?  [3]

* Validate the support that has been reportedly offered. Ask these countries about the support offered, and whether or not it has been offered and/or received without alternative agenda attached. 

* Determine how countries use IHR data and how they rely on the Global Health Observatory.  Ask them for unbiased, sincere response. 

* Determine methods for verification and validation. How can leadership confirm the responses are reliable, consistently interpreted and accurate with a respectful tone? How can countries prepare to receive feedback with professionalism?

* Clarify how regional support can provide efficiency for multiple countries. [4]

* Clarify how ongoing education could be conducted alongside a global peer network of IHR champions.

* Speak with actions, not words. If we ask for honesty and transparency, reciprocate. If we ask for unbiased effort and response, do not retaliate.

We can refresh and maximize the IHR framework only once welcomed into countries’ space. 



1. https://www.who.int/news/item/19-10-2021-who-s-7-policy-recommendations-on-building-resilient-health-systems

2. https://extranet.who.int/e-spar/#capacity-score

3. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

4. https://extranet.who.int/e-spar/#capacity-score

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mortality Data Accuracy Aligns With Hope

Mortality data accuracy is a cornerstone of pandemic management, and it is a cornerstone of any health issue. COVID data inaccuracy offers tremendous opportunity to improve healthcare epidemiology sustainably. And we can improve only when welcomed into one another's national space and place.   Mortality accuracy is challenging due to statistical logistics and geopolitics; it is also challenging due to sociocultural considerations.  We don't really know how each affects accuracy of the mortality data . We don't know the weight of each consideration because we haven't properly assessed them.   We have addressed some solutions for statistical logistics with COVID, such as improving real time data, use of EHR, use of cemetery and cremation data, use of excess death or other metrics, consistency to death definitions and strengthened regional epidemiology.  We have addressed few solutions for geopolitics related to COVID. Most solutions rely on normalizing the ex...
Post a Comment
Read more

Oxygen

Keeping it simple for oxygen coordination is best accomplished when we're welcomed in.  It’s good to support global leadership in medical oxygen supply management for underserved communities and countries in need.  It’s great to support efforts that strengthen individual country leadership toward national strategies on medical oxygen supply management.   Both require some tread into a country’s vulnerabilities on medical needs.  Let’s tread meaningfully and in a way that assures a welcome back.  Detail the coordinating agencies or government departments responsible for medical oxygen supply receipt. Meet with health administrators.  Detail a country’s current policies, compare with a global review and detail opportunities for policies on oxygen management. Is medical oxygen supply and/or maintenance an ongoing regulatory component within a country? What would it take to sharpen regulatory efforts? Is medical oxygen supply a component to ongoing emergen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Right Direction

  Roads Transportation barriers, and alternatives to transportation in healthcare, remain poorly understood. Given the sophistication in global citizenry and global policy, as well as the sophistication of climate science evolution, oversight of transportation in healthcare can be improved. Healthcare transportation oversight should improve with regard to one another’s place and space.   *Ask countries how we can partner with transportation barrier epidemiology, with improved health outcomes as a shared ultimate goal. Emphasize the importance to transient, migrant or nomadic populations as well. *Be clear on finances and transportation with each geographical distinction. *Work toward cultural considerations, such preference for familiar or home care, or comfort and ease with community members or strangers. *Ask for population preference data in shared economy inclusion, and seek for data separate from a company’s self-report. *Ask countries to identify transportation burd...
Post a Comment
Read more