Tanzania trains health workers on how to effectively respond to emergencies and disasters

DODOMA: The Ministry of Health’s Emergency and Disaster Unit, in collaboration with various stakeholders, has continued to strengthen the capacity of health sector personnel to effectively respond to emergencies and disasters nationwide.

This was stated by the Director of Emergency Services, Erasto Sylvanus, during a working session held in Dodoma. The session focused on improving the public health management training curriculum and establishing a database of professionals trained in emergency and disaster response.

Dr Sylvanus noted that the primary objective of the workshop was to enhance participants’ understanding of emergency service delivery, while also strengthening the coordination of laboratory services at the district level. He explained that this would ensure timely and high-quality service delivery during disasters or disease outbreaks.

He further added that the session provides an opportunity to design specialized training programs aimed at improving community health preparedness in responding to various emergencies.

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Emphasizing the importance of preparedness systems, Dr Sylvanus highlighted the need for a robust framework capable of predicting disasters before they occur, thereby reducing potential impacts. He noted that such a system would facilitate early preparedness and enable rapid response measures during emergencies.

In parallel, the workshop also included plans to develop a centralized database that will consolidate information on all professionals trained in emergency and disaster response. This initiative is expected to improve the availability of skilled personnel when needed and enhance human resource coordination within the health sector.