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PACIFIC PUBLIC HEALTH

PRIORITY DURING COVID-19

The Clinical Services Programme has worked closely with PICTs to
strengthen and improve capacity of Intensive and Critical Care, Radi-
ology and Emergency Care by facilitate online trainings to clinicians,
radiology, and nursing health workers throughout the region.
Nurses throughout the Pacific Islands were supported by the Euro-
pean Union and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to
undertake specialized courses in critical care and perioperative care
funded. To complement the training SPC also supported the strength-
ening of critical care facilities service provision, biomedical equip-
ment, and consumables as well as biomedical engineering support for
technicians in country.
Infection, prevention, and control (IPC) is recognized as an essential
requirement for COVID-19 preparedness and response. In collabora-
tion with WHO, SPC has led work in this area, with the production of
technical guidance’s, and the updating of the Pacific Public Health Sur-
veillance Network (PPHSN) Regional Infection Prevention and Control
Guidelines 2021, that has been used by PICTs to develop their own
national IPC guidelines. Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji for example
have finalized their IPC guidelines.
SPC has worked closely with the Laboratory teams in the PICTs to
improve and strengthen COVID-19 testing capabilities. GeneXpert
testing machines and cartridges were provided to PICTs complement-
ed with training support to enhance in-country capacity for molecular
(RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19. PICTs lab scientists were trained by on
how to conduct COVID-19 testing, a regional monitoring system was
established to monitor quality of COVID-19 testing in PICTs and status
of test reagents supplies. The SPC laboratory team has also provided
on-going guidance on equipment maintenance and facilitating sharing
of testing supplies between countries based on information collected
from the COVID-19 monitoring tool.
SPC’s Health Surveillance, Preparedness and Response Programme
The Pacific Community’s Public Health Division works in the re- continues to monitor and share data and innovative visualization
gion to improve, promote, and protect the health of the Pacific Island products on the COVID-19 situation in the region, while providing
people. technical support and training capacity development to PICTs through
This year has been challenging thus far as the Pacific region wit- the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network, in the areas of epide-
nessed the COVID-19 pandemic take precedence. The Public Health miology, surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention and con-
Division (PHD) from the onset of the pandemic, has actively engaged trol, risk communication and community engagement, and response,
with its member Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTS) sup- to epidemic and emerging diseases outbreaks, including COVID-19.
porting COVID-19 preparedness and response. In addition to supporting PICTs with their COVID-19 surveillance and
The division continues to provide technical support through non response, SPRP was able to finalize and launch the, in collaboration
communicable diseases (NCD), clinical services, infection, prevention with WHO, manual on surveillance and control of Aedes vectors in the
and control, laboratory and surveillance, risk communications, train- Pacific, that will serve as a reference for upcoming trainings aiming
ings, and biomedical services. at reducing the burden of mosquito borne diseases, such as dengue
Evidence have showed that people with underlying health condi- fever, across the region. SPRP is also implementing the DFAT funded
Pacific Evidence Informed Policies and Programs (Pac-EVIPP), aimed
tions such as diabetes or heart diseases are at greater risk to develop at strengthening regional health security.
severe illness from of COVID-19, The NCD Program in collaboration
with development partners, led in supporting countries to strengthen PHD’s efforts and ongoing work in the region is supported and fund-
implementation of the Pacific NCD Roadmap and monitoring the im- ed by the European Union (EU), Agence Française de Développement
plementation through the Pacific Monitoring Alliance for NCD Action (AFD), Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the
(MANA) Dashboard. Amid the challenges of COVID-19, through sup- New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and United
port from NCD Programme, PICTs continue to strengthen policies and States Agency for International Development (USAID).
legislation, engage stakeholders and communities, build capacity and The PHD continues to work in collaboration with partners and do-
resources, and implement behavior change interventions to scale up nors in the Pacific region to provide PICTs with support geared towards
actions on NCDs. improving the health of the Pacific people.
For more information, please visit www.spc.int or phd.spc.int Islands Business, November 2021 17