Apprehension of diseases' spread: body to be formed to declare health emergency

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will constitute Public Health Committee to review public health situation and in case of the apprehension of spread of any notified diseases advise the declaration of the state of health emergency. The committee will be constituted under the KP Public Health (Surveillance and Response) Act 2017. The provincial assembly during the recently concluded session has already passed the legislation in this regard.
The committee headed by the Minister for Health as chairperson and Secretary Health as Vice Chairperson will also be comprised of 17 other members including Director General (DG) Health, Additional Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs, DG Agriculture, DG PDMA, DG Livestock & Dairy Development, Director Information & Public Relations, DG Food Safety Authority, DG EPA, Chief Engineer PHED, DG LG&RD, Director KPESE, Chief Executive, Health Care Commission, Provincial Coordinator, Emergency Operation Centre, a representative of CAA, Operation Officer WHO, Director Institute of Public Health, KMU and Director, Public Health as members respectively.
The committee will meet at least twice in a year on such dates and in such places as may be communicated by the Chairperson to all the members for assessing the situation of the public health in the province. The meeting of the Public Health Committee will be presided by the Chairperson or in his absence by the Vice Chairperson. All decisions of the committee will be made by a majority vote and in case of equality of votes of members, the chairperson or vice chairperson, as the case may be will have a casting vote.
The chairperson may invite to the meetings any expert, consultant or representative of any organization as may be deemed necessary, however, they will have no right of vote. The quorum of the committee will be one third of its members. The power and functions of the Public Health Committee will be to ensure the core capacities of International Health Regulations, 2005 of the World Health Organization with regard to coordination, surveillance, response, preparedness, risk communication and human resource, ensure the reporting, notification and verification of the events within stipulated time and ensure availability of all necessary equipment, devices, machines and instruments to assist in surveillance, prevention and control of spread of notifiable diseases and unusual public health events having potential to spread in health and non-health sector to ensure the safety of public health.
The committee will review public health situation in the province and in case of apprehension of spread of any notified diseases, advise the chairperson to declare state of health emergency in whole or any specific part of the province for any specific period and take appropriate measures to deal with such a health emergency in the province in case of declaration of national health emergency.
The Public Health Committee will also collaborate and coordinate with World Health Organization and any other international organization, institutions or companies, relating to their technical, financial or in kind assistance and support for prevention and control of spread of disease. It will also ensure that the department has established an effective disease surveillance system and all other line departments provide necessary support within their mandate so as to prevent and control spread of disease, ensure that the concerned government departments highlighted the purpose and scope of this Act in the curriculum of the educational institutions both public and private sector, and Madaris and recommend amendment to other relevant laws for time being in force to the extent of provisions of the Act for the purpose of bringing improvement in the public health.
Under the Act, the Chairperson, on the basis of information received from various parts of the province, through provincial disease surveillance centre or through other sources and after consultations with the Director General and World Health Organization, if necessary, through a notification in the official gazette, may declare the state of health emergency.
On the declaration of the state of health emergency at national or provincial level, the chairperson on his behalf vice chairperson will communicate instructions, directions and recommend measures to concerned District Nazim and Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned in the province for dealing with health emergency situation in their respective districts.