Building core capacities at the designated points of entry according to the International Health Regulations 2005: a review of the progress and prospects in Taiwan

Abstract

BackgroundAs designated points of entry (PoEs) play a critical role in preventing the transmission of international public health risks, huge efforts have been invested in Taiwan to improve the core capacities specified in the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR 2005). This article reviews how Taiwan strengthened the core capacities at the Taoyuan International Airport (TIA) and the Port of Kaohsiung (PoK) by applying a new, practicable model.DesignAn IHR PoE program was initiated for implementing the IHR core capacities at designated PoEs. The main methods of this program were 1) identifying the designated PoEs according to the pre-determined criteria, 2) identifying the competent authority for each health measure, 3) building a close collaborative relationship between stakeholders from the central and PoE level, 4) designing three stages of systematic assessment using the assessment tool published by the World Health Organization (WHO), and 5) undertaking action plans targeting the gaps identified by the assessments.ResultsResults of the self-assessment, preliminary external assessment, and follow-up external assessment revealed a continuous progressive trend at the TIA (86, 91, and 100%, respectively), and at the PoK (77, 97, and 99.9%, respectively). The results of the follow-up external assessment indicated that both these designated PoEs already conformed to the IHR requirements. These achievements were highly associated with strong collaboration, continuous empowerment, efficient resource integration, and sustained commitments.ConclusionsConsidering that many countries had requested for an extension on the deadline to fulfill the IHR 2005 core capacity requirements, Taiwan's experiences can be a source of learning for countries striving to fully implement these requirements. Further, in order to broaden the scope of public health protection into promoting global security, Taiwan will keep its commitments on multisectoral cooperation, human resource capacity building, and maintaining routine and emergency capacities.

The International Health Regulations (2005): State of Implementation in Côte D'Ivoire in 2011

“…This is also the case in a study conducted by Liu B and col in Hong Kong, China since the advent of SARS, influenza A H1N1, avian flu, and other epidemics, which has changed the landscape at the national level. of International Health Security the National Committee for Nuclear Accident Coordination and the former Food Security office of the State Council jointly established and improved the coordination mechanism [8,23,24]. National legislation in Côte d'Ivoire needs to be revised in order to facilitate the attainment of this capability as many difficulties are encountered in the implementation of the IHR.…”

“…[7,13,21]. Moreover, China and Taiwan, inspection and quarantine capabilities, health monitoring, surveillance and control of the media, monitoring and control of nuclear, biological and chemical factors, and laboratory capacity has been improved [23,24].…”

“…Studies by Masanza and al [17,18] showed that little effort has been made to help laboratories achieve international standards (ISO 15189) and move towards accreditation. On the other hand, Liu B et al, during their work in China reported that the network of laboratory tests for public health emergencies has been established [23].…”

Implementation of the IHR Joint External Evaluation: Taiwan's Experiences

“…During 2011-12, Taiwan conducted a self-assessment of the national IHR core capacities using the WHO-issued assessment tool for core capacity requirements at airports, ports, and ground crossings and the protocol for assessing national surveillance and response capacities for the IHR (2005) that were released in October 2009 and in December 2010, respectively. 16 To commemorate the 10th anniversary of SARS, the government had further invited the UPMC Center for Biosecurity to conduct an external assessment of Taiwan's public health emergency preparedness in December 2012. 17 External assessment of IHR core capacity requirements at airports and seaports was conducted by invited Australian experts in March 2013.…”

“…17 External assessment of IHR core capacity requirements at airports and seaports was conducted by invited Australian experts in March 2013. 16 These experiences not only helped to engage stakeholders in uptake of regular self and external review of relevant programs, but also helped build confidence and comfort among participants in honestly demonstrating both strengths and limitations to external reviewers without need for fear of being blamed or punished.…”