By Emmanuel Gamson
Effia (W/R), Oct. 19, GNA – The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has built the capacity of the Sub-national Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Committee in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality to ensure swift and effective response to public health emergencies.
The training, organised with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), was part of a series being done for 87 RCCE committees across the country, and dubbed: “Strengthening and Utilising Response Groups for Emergencies (SURGE)”.
It was aimed at equipping the members with the requisite skills and knowledge to help them provide coordinated approach to better respond to public health emergencies for improved health outcomes at the community level.
They were taken through the concept of risk communication and community engagement process, and how to manage mis/disinformation during emergencies.
Mr Seth Adjei, Principal Health Promotion Manager, GHS, who facilitated the training said public health emergency preparedness was one of the core components that enabled the country’s health system to function effectively and efficiently to significantly reduce attributable deaths or disabilities.
He said the GHS recognised that the sub-committee was one of the pillars in public health emergency responses, hence, it was vital to build its capacity to better handle communication and community engagements during emergency situations.
He stated that the sub-committee was mandated to provide technical support for effective planning and execution of risk communication and community engagement activities during public health emergencies.
Mr Adjei encouraged members to support awareness creation on any disease and health threats, while helping to identify, collect, analyse and respond to community- level mis/disinformation concerns during emergency situations.
He asked them to meet regularly and develop a preparedness and response plan for public health emergencies to guide them to effectively deliver on their mandates.
GNA