Nairobi ‒ Effective health emergency management must no longer handiest emphasize rapid deployment and operational supply, but also prioritize the systematic decommissioning of temporary health infrastructure after a response. Temporary setups—love tents and modular clinics—are critical during emergencies, but they needs to be dismantled appropriate as systematically as they are deployed.
Decommissioning involves dismantling constructions, assessing residual affords, identifying reusable objects, and safely disposing of waste. When properly finished, it minimizes environmental contamination, infection risks, and waste—while reinforcing neighborhood believe, reducing costs, and supporting sustainability.
Neglecting this crucial phase risks helpful resource loss, environmental damage, and neglected alternatives for strengthening future preparedness. “Decommissioning is a core ingredient of the emergency management cycle, but it is normally lost sight of,” says Alex Yao Sokemawu Freeman, WHO Health Logistics Officer at the Nairobi hub. He advocates integrating decommissioning into early response planning and training frontline teams with practical SOPs. WHO’s decommissioning protocols now guarantee safe closure is planned from the outset of any response.
A structured decommissioning route of facilitates inventory tracking, safe reuse, and donation of affords—promoting sustainable train of assets and reducing the environmental footprint. These practices manufacture local capacity and autonomy in emergency health response.
Training in nations love Uganda, Malawi, and Zimbabwe has significantly improved WHO nation place of business competencies in facility closure, inventory management, and waste disposal. In Uganda, WHO led a simulation training for 25 first responders, enhancing their talents in facility setup and decommissioning.
“Training emphasized step-by-step planning for decommissioning, including phased downscaling, identification of reusable objects and adherence to decontamination protocols,” explains Depuydt, a WHO logistics knowledgeable. “We coated inventory management: tracking what’s reused, what’s donated, and to whom. Many objects can be safely reused, benefiting health systems past the outbreak.”
This information transfer also bolstered national ownership. “The training was really interesting,” displays Daniel Thomas Opio, Uganda’s Emergency Medical Team Coordinator. “We had attempted setup earlier than, but with out training, there are things you omit. This training has grown my self assurance.”
In Malawi and Zimbabwe, similar decommissioning sessions had been integrated into the closure of cholera treatment centres. Over 50 responders had been trained in inventory assessment, gear storage, and waste handling. When Cyclone Chido struck Malawi in late 2024, adopted by a cholera outbreak in 2025, local teams spoke back all at once with minimal external assistance.
“I had so worthy say from the hands-on training and mentoring,” notes Thokozani Chimbali, a trained WHO logistics officer. “I can call myself an ‘operations toughen and logistics all-rounder.’ I now manage local responses independently and can be deployed to regional emergencies.”
Dr Dick Chamla, WHO Nairobi Hub Coordinator, reinforces that decommissioning needs to be embedded in preparedness efforts: “This comprehensive approach prioritizes accountability, sustainability, and efficiency.” WHO continues to toughen nations in institutionalizing decommissioning to make chase emergency operations toughen prolonged-interval of time health gadget resilience.
Conclusion
Decommissioning is no longer an afterthought—it is a strategic, essential ingredient of health emergency responses. When integrated into preparedness frameworks, it supports environmental safety, helpful resource efficiency, and national resilience.
As WHO consultants underscore, embedding structured, phased decommissioning strengthens emergency outcomes, fosters sustainability, and transforms emergency interventions into prolonged-interval of time capacity-building investments.
Recommendations
- Integrate decommissioning into emergency response SOPs.
- Invest in responder training on decontamination, helpful resource management, and waste disposal.
- Establish M&E systems to assess decommissioning outcomes and guarantee continuous learning.
- Foster regional platforms for information exchange and look learning.
