This presentation presents the investment case for health emergency preparedness and response in Serbia.

1. WHO Health Emergencies Programme
at country level
Investing for a safe and
healthy Serbia
Dr Marijan IVANUSA
WHO Representative
WHO Country Office – Serbia

2. The European Region is vulnerable to
health threats
• Infectious diseases and measles epidemics
• Outbreaks of West Nile Virus (WNV) and
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF)
• Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods,
forest fires, landslides)
• Man-made disasters (chemical or radiation
leaks)
• Armed conflicts and spill over from
neighbouring emergencies

3. Health emergencies affect
lives and livelihoods
In a typical year, Europe
suffers economic losses
of € 10 billion* from
disasters and
emergencies, and
hundreds of people die
or become severely ill
March 2018.* Estimate quoted in EFDRR. High-Level Dialogue Communiqué from 2017. European Forum for Disaster Risk
Reduction, Istanbul, 26–28 March 2017.

4. 15 European
countries and
areas have
been
identified by
WHO for
priority action
1All references to Kosovo in this document should be understood to be in
the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999)

5. Serbia is prone to specific health threats
Floods and earthquakes•
Outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics•
including:
Measles outbreaks•
Vectorborne• disease outbreaks, e.g. WNF
Large migrant flow as transit country•
Armed conflict and civil unrest•
Socioeconomic and political fragility•Serbia’s flood hazard map
data.euro.who.int/e-atlas/europe

6. IHR core capacities: what and why?
Structures, skills and people needed for•
health system to prepare for, detect
and respond to health emergencies
Legal obligation under the• International
Health Regulations of 2005 (IHR)
Capacities all WHO Member States•
committed to build, maintain and
report on annually

7. All countries report on 13 capacities
1. Legislation and financing
2. IHR Coordination and National Focal Point (NFP) functions
3. Zoonotic events and the human–animal interface
4. Food safety
5. Laboratory
6. Surveillance
7. Human resources
8. National Health Emergency Framework
9. Health service provision
10. Risk communication
11. Points of entry
12. Chemical events
13. Radiation emergencies

8. Why must Azerbaijan strengthen its
IHR core capacities?
Protect lives and livelihoods1.
Achieve best value2. -for-money
health investment
Show leadership & commitment3.
Observe legal obligations under4.
IHR treaty
Meet GPW5. 13 goals, help
achieve UHC and other SDG
goals

9. Health emergency capacity:
a “best buy” health investment
• Many emergencies are
preventable, or can be mitigated
• Well-prepared countries see
fewer deaths and less disruption
Analysis by WHO shows $ 1 spent on health
emergency capacity produces a return of $ 8.30*
*WHO. A Healthier Humanity: The WHO Investment Case for 2019–2023, pp. 24–28. Geneva: World Health
2018.

10. WHO’s “Triple Billion” is every country’s
2023 target*
• 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC
• 1 billion more people better protected
from health emergencies
• 1 billion more people enjoying better
health and well-being
*WHO General Programme of Work for 2019–2023 (GPW 13)

11. Protecting people from health
emergencies contributes to SDGs

12. All countries committed to the Action Plan
to Improve Public Health Preparedness and
Response in the WHO European Region
VISION
GOAL
A WHO European Region where the impact of
health emergencies is prevented or minimized
Strengthen and maintain adequate capacities in
the European Region to effectively prevent,
prepare for, detect and respond to public health
threats and to provide assistance to affected
countries, when necessary, through three strategic
pillars

13. Public health
needs to be
protected across
the whole health
emergency cycle

14. “Two sides of the same coin”
• Strengthening health emergency capacity strengthens health
system resilience and UHC
• Strengthening health systems strengthens capacity to
prepare and respond to emergencies

15. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
Serbia's road to stronger health emergency capacities
@WHO/Jaqueline Christensen @WHO/Mihail Grigorev @WHO/Margarita Spasenovska @WHO/Jerome Flayosc

16. • 55% of reporting countries have preparedness
and response plans at all levels
• 73% of reporting countries have response
coordination and incident management at all
levels
• In 60% of reporting countries, all levels have
access to resources with which to mount a
response
• 50% of reporting countries have case
management services for all hazards at all
levels
©WHO
Progress towards protecting people in Europe

17. Serbia invested in IHR
monitoring and evaluation
• Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of Serbia’s IHR core capacities
completed in 2018
• JEE found many strengths:
– Strong framework of public health laws and legislation, strong emergency response
system; e.g. exemplary response to floods in 2014, strong immunization system,
strong disease surveillance systems, dedicated and highly skilled experts in the
National Public Health Institute
• Ministry of Health and IHR working groups have already developed
and adopted a National Health Emergency Preparedness and
Response Plan

18. How do Serbia’s capacities need to be
strengthened?
Specific capacities identified
by JEE for strengthening
JEE’s cross-cutting recommendations on capacity
strengthening
Long-term strategy Fund and implement the National Health Emergency
and Preparedness Plan adopted in December 2018
(after JEE)
Response Clarify mechanisms for whole-of-government
coordination in pre-emergency phase
Multisectoral coordination Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for
technical areas not currently covered by written
strategies and procedures
Human resources Review and realign national health workforce strategy
Surveillance Move towards web-based real-time reporting systems

19. Serbia’s success stories
• WHO evaluated Serbia’s response to major floods of 2014. It found the response
was rapid, effective and undoubtedly saved many lives
• National public health laboratory has technical cooperation with the European
Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the US Centers for
Disease Prevention and Control (US CDC). It has potential to be the Balkans’
centre of excellence
• Serbia is developing a National Emergency Risk Communication Plan with
support from WHO Regional and Country offices
• Serbia is the Balkans subregional hub for the WHO Health Emergencies
Programme

20. Conclusion: the opportunity is there
• Crucial for Serbia’s government to follow up adoption of National Health
Emergency and Preparedness Plan (incorporating recommendations from
the JEE) by funding and implementing the Plan
– Shows political commitment and leadership
– Basis for finding resources
• WHO and partners offer advice and technical support but domestic
resources are key
– Health emergency capacity is part of UHC: needs to be sustainable
• Long-term well-funded strategy on health emergency capacities will save
lives and protect Serbia’s economy

21. WHO Health Emergencies
Programme in the
European Region
http://www.euro.who.int/
en/health-topics/health-
emergencies
WHO Country Office for
Serbia
http://www.euro.who.int/
en/countries/serbia
Thank you

22. WHO Health Emergencies Programme in the European Region
http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/emergencies
WHO Country Office for Serbia
http://www.euro.who.int/en/countries/serbia
Thank you