IHR capacities at ground crossings and cross-border coordination

Project details

Year: 2021

Client: World Health Organization - Regional Office for South-East Asia

Objective: Perform a situation analysis of current capacities and challenges at ground crossings and identify a way forward for strengthening cross-border coordination and collaboration with a focus on Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.

Deliverables:

  • Situation analysis protocol
  • Detailed facilitator’s agenda and supporting material for country stakeholders’ meetings
  • Situation analysis report and its companion presentation

Performed activities

The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) outline obligations and recommendations for countries to better prevent, prepare for and respond to any type of acute public health risk, including at points of entry, i.e. international ports, airports and ground crossings. The IHR also encourage neighbouring countries to collaborate for disease prevention and control at ground crossings.

We performed a situation analysis targeted at Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal of:

  • Current IHR capacities at ground crossings
  • Existing cross-border health collaboration and information sharing practices

We developed a detailed protocol and identified twenty main topics for the analysis.

Topics used for the data extraction and data analysis

Figure 1. Topics used for the data extraction and data analysis

We collected information through:

  • A literature review
  • Thirteen semi-structured interviews with national key informants
  • A two-hour online meeting with Bhutan stakeholders

We specified in the situation analysis report and its companion presentation:

  • Existing public health preparedness and response capacities at ground crossings, including challenges and solutions used or proposed to overcome them
  • Recommendations for strengthening public health preparedness and response at ground crossings
  • Existing cross-border collaboration and information sharing practices, including challenges and solutions used or proposed to overcome them
  • Recommendations for strengthening cross-border communication and information sharing