Angola, care for many nations in the situation, continues to face rising threats to public health, including the continuing cholera outbreak affecting several provinces. In response, the Ministry of Health has taken concrete measures to enhance the country’s capacity to prepare for and coordinate responses to public health emergencies.
A central part of this effort is the establishment of Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOCs), specialized coordination hubs housed inner the National Directorate of Public Health (DNSP) and overseen technically by the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiological Surveillance (DVE). These centres are designed to present a enhance to timely and efficient multisectoral coordination no longer finest actual via outbreaks and health emergencies, but also via continuous possibility monitoring, tournament and neighborhood-based surveillance via hotlines, and data from the CPDE to maintain real-time situational awareness.
Over the past month, with give a enhance to from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health led a series of strategic activities to make stronger Angola’s PHEOC gadget. This integrated the vogue and multisectoral overview of key governance documents such as the National PHEOC Handbook, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and the Industry Continuity Plan (BCP). These tools were validated via a participatory workshop animated national stakeholders and partners.
The activity was additional complemented by an introductory training on public health emergency management and PHEOC operations, adopted by a tabletop simulation train carried out from 14 to 17 April 2025. The simulation supplied a scenario of large flooding leading to a cholera outbreak, allowing participants to test coordination mechanisms and apply the newly developed documents in a realistic surroundings.
The initiative introduced collectively 30 participants from across sectors, including health, atmosphere, laboratories, civil protection, and the national police, as well as representatives from regional and international partners such as the Africa CDC, the Financial Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the REDISSE IV mission.
According to Dr Walter Firmino, WHO Angola Emergency Officer, Angola has made meaningful progress in operationalizing its emergency coordination programs. “From creating and validating key documents to conducting targeted training and simulation exercises, the country has taken major steps in the fair direction. Angola now has a stronger foundation, but sustaining progress would require continuous capacity constructing, regular checking out of coordination programs, and stronger faulty-sector collaboration, especially via improved information-sharing mechanisms,” he said.
The initiative has strengthened internal organization and team readiness, as stated by Dr. Claudete Samuton attain Francisco, a Department of Hygiene and Epidemiological Surveillance technician at the DNSP.
“This training will greatly assist us give a enhance to our ability to answer public health emergencies in a coordinated and organized manner. We also had the chance to examine and validate the manual and SOPs guiding the PHEOC’s functioning. More importantly, it bolstered the readiness of each team member to satisfy their feature with responsibility and effectivity,” she said.
The strengthening of Angola’s PHEOCs is aligned with the International Health Regulations (IHR). It builds on global greatest practices such as standardized incident management programs, real-time data sharing, and participation in regional information networks.
By means of these fresh efforts, Angola is making tangible progress toward absolutely operationalizing its PHEOC gadget, enhancing preparedness, surveillance, and efficient response to future public health emergencies.
