KUALA LUMPUR: Healthcare needs strong cooperation and collaboration to address the "severe gaps" in managing health emergencies across nations, as evident during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah stressed this today when thanking World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for the report of the first meeting of the standing committee on pandemic response.

Dr Noor Hisham was appointed chair of the new WHO Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (SCHEPPR) last year. The committee met virtually on Dec 12, 2022.

He was tasked with heading the team for a term of between one and two years, which would meet at least twice annually, besides convening extraordinary meetings for urgent matters if necessary.

As chair of the standing committee, Dr Noor Hisham said Malaysia was committed to working closely with the vice-chair, Prof Jérôme Salomon of France, and committee members.

The WHO's 34-member executive board, during its annual meeting last May, agreed to establish SCHEPPR to help speed up its response to global health emergencies like Covid-19, following criticism of it being slow in responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

"I am pleased that the committee accomplished all the objectives of the first meeting. We also extensively discussed the terms of reference and membership terms at the meeting.

"Most importantly, we emphasised that the work of this standing committee will be complementary to avoid duplication with other relevant processes.

"Ultimately, we need strong cooperation and collaboration to address the severe gaps in managing health emergencies.

"We wish to commend the members of the standing committee for a united and coherent approach in executing the task mandated to us," he said in a statement today.

Malaysia's Health Ministry also joined other WHO member states in fully concurring with the chair's proposal to select Option 1 in moving forward in the health agenda.

Option 1 dictates that the executive board may wish to extend the two-year terms of the three members of the standing committee whose terms would otherwise expire in December 2024 until the closure of the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025.

The terms of the other nine appointed standing committee members will automatically expire when they cease to be members of the board in May 2023 (two members) and in May 2024 (seven members).

The board may also wish to extend the one-year terms of the first/current chair and vice-chair, which would otherwise expire on Dec 4, 2023, until the closure of the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024.

Dr Noor Hisham said this meant that between May 2024 and 2025 a non-executive board member could continue to lead the standing committee.

"It was a unanimous decision of the executive board to endorse and approve the chair (Malaysia) and members of the standing committee.

"Our (the standing committee's) job is to advise Tedros and WHO on matters related to health emergencies based on International Health Regulatory and Intergovernmental Negotiating Body reports," he added.

According to the terms of reference, the standing committee shall provide guidance to the WHO executive board and advice to the WHO director-general on health emergency prevention, preparedness, and response, and immediate capacities of the WHO Emergencies Programme, in the event a public health emergency of international concern is determined.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/02/876136/dr-noor-hisham-need-beef-collaboration-plug-severe-gaps-managing-global