The Government of Japan’s support to WHO has enabled the Western Pacific Region and other countries across the globe to carry out much-needed health emergencies responses and to provide essential health services to vulnerable populations.
Essential pivotal work has taken place in Ethiopia, the Gaza Strip, Pacific Islands countries, Somalia, Syria, Tonga, the Western Pacific and Ukraine.Strategic assistance to strengthen resilience and collaboration in health security in the Western Pacific RegionEmergency medical teams trained to respond in Pacific Island countriesSituated in the Ring of Fire, Pacific Island countries and areas are highly vulnerable to disasters.
Given that local responders are always the first to act, having national emergency medical teams (EMT) that are well equipped and trained to deploy at a moment’s notice makes timely and high-quality health emergency responses possible, even in lower-resource settings.WHO works with Pacific Island Countries to develop and strengthen EMTs through its EMT initiative.
With support from the Government of Japan and other donors, WHO recently trained and tested Pacific Island countries’ readiness to respond to health emergencies through workshops and emergency simulation exercises.WHO’s Pacific EMT training modules were designed to ensure that the teams can be self-sufficient and provide high-quality medical care in challenging environments, based on WHO’s global standards adapted to the unique context of Pacific islands.The Marshall Islands Medical Assistance Team (MiMat) participates in a simulation exercise during a week-long EMT training in May 2024.