Lusaka—More than 60 Zambian health professionals are being trained to respond rapidly to health emergencies and provide timely support to affected communities. Zambia becomes the 32nd country in the African Region to roll out the training, joining a regional effort to build a skilled emergency workforce ready to deploy whenever and wherever it is needed.
With funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the seven-day training for multidisciplinary responders from the Ministry of Health, the Zambia National Public Health Institute, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the military. WHO’s support connects workforce development with the coordination systems needed to assess threats, establish priorities and organize response operations in affected areas.
The training forms part of AVoHC-SURGE, which combines the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s African Volunteer Health Corps with WHO’s Strengthening and Utilizing Response Groups for Emergencies initiative. It supports countries to develop multidisciplinary teams that can be mobilized within 24 to 48 hours, reinforcing national capacity while enabling support across borders.
Delays in response can allow an outbreak to spread rapidly, interrupt essential health services and leave people without timely advice or care. The training helps participants understand their responsibilities within a wider response and how to work together under pressure.
“AVoHC-SURGE is a commitment to protecting our people and saving lives. By volunteering our expertise, we are taking responsibility for our communities while contributing to health security beyond our borders. We look forward to extending this initiative across the country,” said Dr Nyambe Sinyange, Acting Director General of the Zambia National Public Health Institute.
The training advances Zambia’s national SURGE roadmap developed earlier this year with contributions from government, emergency response agencies, academia and partners. The roadmap prioritizes a roster of trained responders, stronger public health emergency operations centres (PHEOCs) at national and provincial levels, reliable supply chains and improved deployment processes.
WHO, working with Africa CDC and partners, is supporting implementation through training, system testing and readiness verification. This approach addresses both the skills responders need and the operational arrangements that enable them to use those skills effectively.
“The strength of an emergency response lies in having people who know what to do, can work together and are ready to act. Through AVoHC-SURGE, WHO is supporting Zambia to build that capacity within its own institutions, so that communities can receive timely support when an emergency strikes,” said Dr Clement Peter Lasuba, WHO Representative in Zambia.
Beyond the course, the priority is to maintain an active roster and use regular simulation exercises to test how teams would be mobilized and supported. This will help Zambia maintain the operational readiness needed to deploy trained responders within 24 to 48 hours of an emergency.
