By Sylvia K
Baylor Uganda, in partnership with the center for disease control has established a public health emergency operation center at Fort Portal regional referral hospital [FPRHS].
This was launched by the state minister for health Margret Muhanga Mugisa.
According to Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, who is also the director for public health and environment Ministry of health, PHEOC will act as an intelligence center or as a command and control center to harmonize the coordination for all the information regarding epidemic outbreak or any infections of public health importance.
Expectations from PHEOC
According to Dr. Daniel, the center will also do surveillance and quickly detect public health emergencies like Hemorrhagic fever, Covid, Ebola, Congo hemorrhagic fever ,Crimean Congo, rift valley fever, among others .
This, will also set up systems to start responding to them.
He says since Uganda particularly the Rwenzori region and neighboring many countries like Congo are prone to this will help them detect the diseases before it is circulated.
State Minister for health
The state minister for health Margret Muhanga Mugisa, while launching the center, disclosed that there will be quick response from villages that will quickly identify the patients and evacuate them to the center before they spread the disease to others.
She further encouraged leaders, to help the health workers in fighting such diseases from the community through maximumly utilizing the center.
The Fort Portal Regional Emergency Operations Center has been commissioned by @MargaretMuhanga,State Minister in charge of Primary Health Care. This will facilitate outbreak response and recovery, coordinate information and resources to guide effective decision making. pic.twitter.com/JEK2fRu94u
— Ministry of Health- Uganda (@MinofHealthUG) July 11, 2022
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Dr. Alex Adaku, the director Fort Portal regional referral hospital, said the center will help them to be able to foster unity among the public, analyze data, and collect relevant information to respond together with the stakeholders appropriately to health care challenges.
He said, before the launch of the center, there were challenges with coordination, whereby responding to pandemics needs a lot of coordination with the district.
