13/08/2019 

Last week colleagues from PHE’s Emergency Response Department (ERD), the Global Public Health Division and National Infection Service (NIS) visited Myanmar to deliver Emergency Operations Centre training and a simulation exercise. 

PHE colleagues collaborated with the Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS) and the World Health Organisation’s Myanmar country office to deliver the training. The training was part of PHE’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Strengthening Project, which aims to enhance compliance with the WHO IHR (2005) in selected partner countries and regions. 

Approximately 40 delegates attended the training, which focused on incident management systems and different simulation exercises. 

PHE’s Emergency Response team were able to share lessons learnt from dealing with emergency incidents in the UK, including our response to the Novichok poisoning incidents in 2017. The training and simulation exercises enabled MOHS to test their national Pandemic Influenza Preparedness plan and Health Emergency Operations Centre plan. 

Overall the training was well received by participants, who had travelled from across the country to attend. One participant commented: “The group exercises were very useful and I appreciated how the facilitators were ready to clarify and help each group.”

PHE’s Emergency Response and NIS teams also had a final debrief meeting with Dr Thar Tun Kyaw, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Sports Myanmar. Dr Kyaw thanked PHE’s support on the IHR Strengthening Project, saying: “We acknowledge and appreciate PHE’s support on EPRR (Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience) strengthening in Myanmar”.