Health Ministry guidelines to beef up disaster and crisis response

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has drawn up guidelines to strengthen resilience and response to disasters and crises.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic) said these guidelines for disaster management and preparedness will prepare the country to face potential disasters such as landslides and floods.

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“We are also emphasising chemical disasters and infectious diseases such as Covid-19,” he told reporters at the ministry’s Disaster Management Conference here on Wednesday (Oct16).

“It is important for a country to remain prepared, alert, agile and robust,” he added.

He said this is also to ensure that the country’s development and economic progress will not be derailed in the event of a disaster.

Dzulkefly said the five-pronged guidelines have been tested through simulations at the district, state, national as well as Asean levels and will be improved upon periodically.

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He said the ministry's role will centre on the treatment aspect, adding that disaster management requires a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach.

The guidelines encompass the Ministry's Disaster Management Plan 2024; the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre’s (CPRC) Standard Operating Procedures 2024; the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) Management Guidelines 2024; the Rapid Assessment Team (RAT) and Rapid Response Team (RRT) 2024; and Human Resource Mobilisation During Public Health Emergencies 2024.