Management of Medical and Public Health Emergency Response: The Case of Coronavirus 2019 Outbreak in Chiangrai Province
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Abstract
Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus 2019 with many cases and deaths. The Ministry of Public Health has applied the incident command system to disaster management in a public health emergency. A policy is to distribute operations to the regions at the provincial level, but such operations need to be adapted according to the situation, organization potential, and local context.
OBJECTIVE: 1. To study the medical and public health emergency response management model, in the case of the epidemic of Coronavirus 2019, Chiangrai Province 2. To develop operational guidelines for managing medical and public health emergency responses, applicable to various other disaster scenarios.
METHODS: This study was mixed methods in a concurrent style using past information from documents, action review, in-depth interview, group discussions, and questionnaires. The qualitative study was conducted using a content analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation.
Result: Chiangrai province proceeded preparing for the situation of the Coronavirus 2019 outbreak, setting up a Coronavirus 2019 prevention system by incident command system (ICS) to command. It operated according to the 2P2R principle, namely prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery under the integration of operations at the provincial, district, sub-district, and community levels by the Communicable Disease Committee of Chiangrai Province. The result of an assessment of medical and public health emergency response management performance in the case of the epidemic of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Chiangrai Province was at high level (Mean=2.49, SD=0.63). The developmental approach to emergency response management in the medical and public health sectors in Chiangrai province involves adjusting the event management structure to align with the local challenges and organizational capacities. Additionally, there have been improvements in action plans and standard operating procedures (SOP) to correspond with actual practices, incorporating collaborative processes from personnel at all levels and various sectors.
Conclusion and RECOMMENDATION: Before the outbreak of Coronavirus 2019, Chiangrai province lacked preparedness plans according to the 2P2R framework, and responsibilities were not clearly defined. After experiencing successful event management practices and collaboration among various sectors, challenges emerged in planning for newly emerging diseases, particularly related to local context and ethnic diversity. Subsequently, the Chiangrai Provincial Public Health Office took measures to enhance preparedness, revamp various plans, and adjust the event management structure through participatory processes. Recommendations include regular plan reviews and role clarification in the event management structure on an annual basis.
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