Joint external evaluation of the International Health Regulations (‎2005)‎ core capacities of Gambia: mission report, 9-13 September 2024

Overview

Since the 2017 JEE mission, Gambia has made efforts to improve its ability to handle public health threats. Gambia’s JEE 2024 mission revealed that only four of 56 indicators show developed or demonstrated capacity (scores of 3 and above). These four indicators are primarily within the response area and include strategic planning for IHR, preparedness or health security; vaccine coverage (measles) as part of the national programme; national vaccine access and delivery; and community engagement. However, the majority of the indicators (52 out of 56, with scores of 2 or less), revealed that Gambia does not yet have sufficient capacity in place to effectively prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health threats. In the past few years, Gambia has initiated several health financing reforms, including the implementation of the national health insurance scheme to ensure social health protection. The 2019–2024 health financing strategy sets out clear priorities and activities to inform the implementation of the reforms and achieve progress toward Universal Health Coverage. The strategic goal is to ensure adequate financing so that the targets of the national health strategic plan are achieved, including those related to public health emergencies.