Uzbekistan has developed a National action plan for health security (NAPHS) for 2024−2028. It was presented during a political dialogue in Tashkent on 18−19 September. With financial support from the USAID and technical assistance from WHO, the NAPHS was drafted by the working group consisting of representatives from ministries and agencies responsible for the International Health Regulations (IHR).
“The national plan is an important tool to ensure that all stakeholders work together to strengthen Uzbekistan’s public health system and respond effectively to public health emergencies,” WHO representative in Uzbekistan Asheena Khalakdina said.
Uzbekistan has a lot to do to be better prepared for health threats and challenges, head of the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health Bakhodir Yusupaliyev noted.
The strategic goal of the 5-year NAPHS is to strengthen Uzbekistan’s preparedness to better respond to health emergencies through the implementation of core capacities of the IHR, the WHO office in Tashkent told Gazeta.uz.
This goal is expected to be sustained by the following strategic actions:
- Strengthening preparedness and planning for health emergences to improve the capacities under the IHR through improvement of intersectoral relationships and coordination;
- Improving early warning and detection of potential public health threats, including for emergency infectious diseases;
- Improving capacities under the IHR and strengthening interministerial and intersectoral collaboration;
- Implementing the “One health” and “all-hazards” approaches throughout the government, across sectors and between ministries.
The plan defines 19 technical areas and 96 focus areas, including 340 activities. The NAPHS is shaped to contribute to preventing, protecting against, controlling and providing public health response to limit international spread of diseases in ways that are commensurate with the public health risks.
The plan covers areas such as biosecurity, strengthening national laboratories, resistance to microbial pathogens, zoonotic diseases, food safety, public immunization, surveillance, human resources, public risk communication, emergency preparedness, emergency response, public health/security interactions during emergencies, dispatch and reception of medical responders and personnel, chemical safety, radiation safety and others.
The first draft of the plan was prepared in 2023 and the finalization of the document took place during the multi-sectoral expert workshop in March 2024, with more than 40 key stakeholders from the government and the society.
In May 2005, the 58th World Health Assembly adopted the revised IHR (1969 edition). The IHR request countries to establish and maintain national capacities needed rapidly to identify threats to human health and undertake quick actions to prevent a public health event from becoming a public health emergency of international concern.
