The Angola’ Ministry of Health, through the National Directorate of Public Health, is organizing a Joint External Evaluation (JEE) workshop from September 25, aimed at independently assessing the country's core capacities in terms of compliance with the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.

The opening ceremony was chaired by H.E. Dr Leonardo Europeu Inocêncio, Secretary of State in charge of Health for Hospital Sector who represented H.E. Dr Sílvia Paula Valentim Lutucuta, Minister of Health. 

Also attending the opening ceremony were Dr. Humphrey Karamagi, acting WHO representative in Angola, and Dr. Catarina Aragão, representing the World Bank's Health Projects Portfolio Operations Manager in Angola.

Photo of the official opening of the IHR 2005 Joint External Evaluation workshop

In his opening remarks, H.E. Dr Leonardo Europeu Inocêncio, underlined the importance of this evaluation and Angola's commitment to Universal Health Coverage. "We must always be attentive to issues that put public health at risk", he remarked.  He also recalled that thanks to this assessment, Angola will gain in terms of preparedness, response and monitoring of health risks.

During this event, which will run until September 29, 2023, a multidisciplinary team of experts from WHO, FAO, ECCAS and other national and international institutions will analyse, discuss and assign the final classification to the nineteen technical areas of the assessment tool with their peers from Angola. During this exercise, field visits are also planned to the infrastructures concerned within the framework of the RSI-2005.

Family photo after the opening of the RSI 2005 Joint External Evaluation workshop

The aim of the JEE is to assess the specific state of the countries, the progress made in setting up the essential capacities required in the IHR 2005 and, above all, to recommend priority actions to be adopted in the 19 technical areas assessed to prevent, detect and respond rapidly to risks and guarantee national and international health security to actual or potential public health events.

The following areas will be analysed: legal instruments; finance; IHR coordination (2005); antimicrobial resistance; zoonosis, food safety, biosafety and bio protection; immunization; national laboratory system; surveillance; human resources; health emergency management; links between public health authorities and safety, health service delivery; infection prevention and control; risk communication; points of entry; chemical incidents; radiological emergencies.

The recommendations of this evaluation will form part of the report that will serve as the basis for updating the National Action Plan for Health Safety.

This Joint External Evaluation in Angola was organized within the framework of the Technical Assistance Agreement signed between the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the World Health Organization, Africa Office, as part of the implementation of the activities of the World Bank-funded Project for Strengthening Regional Disease Surveillance Systems in Central Africa, Fourth Phase (REDISSE IV).

With financial support from the REDISSE IV Project, this exercise, which involves all five REDISSE IV beneficiary countries, was also carried out in Chad and the Central African Republic, in July and August respectively.  The Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo will close the exercise in October 2023.