Health systems for emergencies

Emergency preparedness and health systems strengthening are two sides of the same coin. By developing strong preparedness and response capacities as defined by the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), we develop greater health system resilience, and when health systems are strengthened, we effectively implement the IHR.

Health systems in Europe have shown that they can manage the importation of diseases such as haemorrhagic fevers, and European countries on the front-line of migration are taking steps to provide access to health services for new arrivals. The collaboration between Turkey and WHO offers a particularly strong example of the provision of health services to refugees; services which are of a similar standard to those provided to resident citizens.

However, the Region remains vulnerable to a wide range of hazards, such as outbreaks of measles, infections from contaminated food and water, floods, earthquakes and conflict. WHO support to Member States addresses the immediate health needs of populations affected by health emergencies while tackling the root causes of their vulnerabilities. This means helping countries to strengthen the resilience of their health systems.