Capability of Public Health Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Office of Disease Prevention and Control Region 4, Saraburi Province

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to 1) To understand the situation of the capabilities of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of the Office of Disease Prevention and Control Region 4, Saraburi Province (ODPC4) 2) To compare the capabilities of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (EOC) ODPC4 between the fiscal years 2019 and 2022 and 3) To provide the recommendations for the capability development of the EOC of ODPC4. These two fiscal years were evaluated by an external assessment team. We used the EOC Assessment Tool which consists of 10 capability elements with 74 indicators developed and improved by the Division of Disease Control in Emergency Situations, Department of Disease Control. The score scale were 4 levels: 1 = No capability, 2 = Limited capability, 3 = developed capability, and 4 = demonstrated capability and can be applied effectively. The assessment results for the fiscal year 2019 (2562) showed that ODPC4 passed the assessment criteria at level 4 for 43 indicators (58.11%). In comparison, for the fiscal year 2022 (2565), the number of indicators at the level 4 increased significantly to 58 indicators (78.38%). This indicates showed an improvement in the capabilities of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center in ODPC4. Notable improvements were observed in Capability Elements 2, Emergency Operations Center (increased from 46.3% to 92.3%), and Capability Elements 5, Critical Information (increased from 12.5% to 50.0%). However, continuous development is needed in certain categories, including Capability Elements 7, Risk Communication and Warning (decreased from 100.0% to 25.0%), Capability Elements 8, Internal Communication within the ICS (decreased from 50.0% to 0.0%), and Capability Elements 10, Training, Exercises, and Evaluation (decreased from 75.0% to 25.0%). Therefore, there is a recommendation to expedite the development plan for the Emergency Operations Center in ODPC4, focusing on three aspects: personnel capacity, resource enhancement, and system functionality. This includes improving staff capabilities, updating emergency response plans, and conducting regular drills to enhance operational efficiency.