The Health Sector Group under the Disaster Response Coordination Council (DRCU) in Kyrgyzstan led by Ministry of Health (MoH) and WHO, comprises various organizations, international partners and NGOs. The Health Sector Group was revitalized in May 2018 supported by Kyrgyzstan's International Disaster Relief Law for proper coordination and timely management of international aid, that was ratified in 2017. The group provided platform for coordination, advocacy and capacity building to advance country’s core capacities to implement the International Health Regulations (2005), strengthening country’s preparedness to address priority public health risks. The established group was tasked by DRCU to lead the coordination of health preparedness response to COVID-19, as WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Upon activation of WHO’s WHO/Europe COVID-19 Incident Management Support Team (IMST) on 23 January 2020, efforts were immediately put towards bolstering the Central Asia WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) hub with additional expertise to prepare for crisis response nationally and other central Asia countries. Members of the Health Sector Group (MoH, WHE team at the Kyrgyz WHO Country Office (WCO), and external partners) co-created Kyrgyzstan's Intersectoral Interagency Contingency Plan for COVID-19, which was approved and put in motion after Kyrgyzstan recorded its first COVID-19 case on 22 March 2020.
The contingency plan outlined the responsibilities of Health Sector Group members, other DRCU sectors, and state bodies. It contained nine pillars, including coordination, risk communication, surveillance, rapid response teams and case investigation, points of entry, laboratory, infection prevention and control, case management, and maintaining essential health services.
The WHO Country Office and Kyrgyz MoH took on a leading role within the Health Sector Group, working together to coordinate 25 Group members and external partners (including UN agencies, NGOs, and other partners supporting countries) to deliver on all pillars of the contingency plan. Together, they delegated actions to support and advance national capacity, update and develop guidelines and standard operating procedures, procurement of supplies and equipment, infrastructure support, risk communication and community engagement, and conducting assessments and studies to inform evidence-based decision making. They led bi-weekly DRCU meetings and provided updates on health sector activities, challenges and way forward to all DRCU partners regularly. By November of 2020, approximately US$ 53 million had been raised and 50% of the plan’s activities had been marked complete.
The contingency plan had an initial focus on early detection, isolation, and surveillance. In this initial phase, WHO led emergency risk communication, surveillance control, and infection prevention and control in hospitals. Meanwhile, the government played a crucial role at Kyrgyzstan’s borders, working with neighbouring countries to implement screening and quarantining protocols for individuals who may have been exposed to the virus from travel. WHO also conducting analytics to track the implementation of the entire response plan, which involved keeping count of the funds mobilized for each pillar, number of trainings conducted, and items procured.
One of the most outstanding achievements by WHO was its success in upskilling multiple key health workers. Early on, WCO held trainings with Regional Office experts for doctors and nurses on clinical management of COVID-19 and other trainings to upskill laboratory and public health staff. By November of 2020, 4090 individuals were trained on IPC, 2019 on case management, 129 on essential health services (unrelated to COVID-19), 100 on surveillance, and over 50 on laboratory testing.
Moreover, WHO supported MoH and Border Control authority to assess points of entry preparedness and response capacity, utilizing a tailored checklist developed by WHO EURO Regional Office. The assessment informed number of strategic actions to advance public health measures at airports and boarder crossing points, in line with WHO recommendations.
Beyond COVID-19, WCO supported MOH in maintaining essential health services in 2020. Notably, jointly with MOH, it proceeded to run an extensive vaccination program for measles and other vaccine-preventable illnesses during the European Immunization Week (in April 2020) through mobile outreach teams. Additionally, through virtual means, WCO continued to offer training, briefings and webinars on diabetes, hypertension and mental health.
With each barrier that Kyrgyzstan's COVID-19 response encountered, WHO reacted quickly with solutions. This was evident in the WCO's leadership role in the Health Sector Group and stepping in to coordinate Group members' roles and responsibilities and in its quick transition to virtual training sessions for medical professionals after lockdown. Another key to the Health Sector Groups success was that members took potential threats seriously and enacted preemptive measures. This is demonstrated by its overall COVID-19 response, with the rapid development of and commitment to a contingency plan, even well-before the first COVID-19 case. Additionally, recognizing potential political unrest in Kyrgyzstan, the WCO worked with partners and other government entities to develop a contingency plan for such a scenario. This preventive measure was necessary, as political instability could compromise public health measures and access to testing, treatment and health promotion efforts.
The proactive and solution-focused approach to managing COVID-19 in Kyrgyzstan was essential for addressing and preventing the pandemic's negative impacts. The WCO played a significant role in mobilizing numerous partners within the Health Sector Group, which led to highly coordinated efforts to put the Intersectoral Interagency Contingency Plan for COVID-19 into action. Moreover, the lessons gained from this experience go beyond Kyrgyzstan because of its role as the WHE hub for central Asia, benefiting countries with similar political, socioeconomic, and health system capacities.
Photo caption: DRCU Health Sector meetings in January 2020 chaired by the Ministry of Health and WHO.
Photo credit: WHO
Disclaimer: This image was taken during a time of no community transmission of COVID-19. Community transmission is defined as the inability to relate confirmed cases through chains of transmission for a large number of cases, or by increasing positive tests through sentinel samples (routine systematic testing of respiratory samples from established laboratories). Preventative measures such as mask wearing and physical distancing should be used to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
