Health and Security Agencies Co-operate to Fight Terrorism
17th Ministerial Meeting of the Global Health Security Initiative in Brussels
24 February 2017. The Health ministers and secretaries of the ‘Global Health Security Initiative’ (GHSI) met in Brussels on 24th February for their 17th Ministerial Meeting. The focus was on the collaboration between the health and security sectors in preparing for and responding to health emergencies caused by terrorist attacks and on international crisis management to mitigate global public health emergencies.
Again, the recent terror attacks have starkly illustrated the vital role that efficient emergency service chains and close collaboration between the health and security sectors have to play in crisis response. Therefore, the health and security agencies need to agree on and coordinate the necessary measures in good time. This also includes providing the public with reliable, facts-based information to defeat the spread of “fake news”.
In Brussels, Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe and his counterparts from Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the USA were joined by the Deputy Director Operations at Europol Will van Gemert, the Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Peter Salama and the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Dr. Vytenis Andriukaitis.
High on the meeting’s agenda were the emerging public health challenges posed by the deliberate spread of fake news that are likely to, for instance, divert and bind the resources of first responders and heighten public uncertainty. To address these challenges, joint exercises will be a consistent element of collaboration.
Another priority was the discussion that the ministers and secretaries had with Dr. Peter Salama on the implementation of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme that, by putting in place clear rules, processes and lines of responsibility, is expected to enhance WHO’s response to international health emergencies going forward.
Minister Hermann Gröhe took advantage of this opportunity to have a talk about patient safety with his British colleague Nicola Blackwood on the sidelines of the meeting. On a related note, 29th and 30th March of this year will see a major conference on this topic, the Second Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety, which will go a long way towards intensifying our joint efforts to enhance patient safety.
The next regular Ministerial Meeting of the Global Health Security Initiative will be held in London in 2018.