With the protracted crises in South Sudan, the scale and severity of humanitarian situations continues to rise, hence efficient forecasting, procurement, distribution and rational use of WHO emergency health kits is critical to ensure timely delivery of essential emergency health services.

With the aim to optimize the availability of required supplies in the right quantity, WHO trained 29 participants from 24 Health Cluster partners (both International and National NGOs) on the basics of WHO emergency kits to improve the capacity of Health Cluster partners on requisition, distribution and rational use of life-saving medicines so that patients receive care without interruption.

The objective of the training was to familiarize Health Cluster partners on the types and contents of WHO emergency health kits including Interagency Emergency Heath Kits (IEHK), revised cholera kits, sever acute malnutrition with medical complication kits, trauma kits, surgical supply kits and pneumonia kits and ensure accountability to beneficiaries, Health Cluster, WHO, Ministry of Health and donors.

During emergencies timely and appropriate response in terms of technical and administrative support is vital to save lives, says Dr Guracha Guyo, Emergency Coordinator for WHO South Sudan.  With the fragmentation of the supply system, optimizing the distribution and rational use of life-saving medicines will help minimize costs and improve patient care, says Dr Guyo. 

In accordance with the guidelines, focused group discussions, brainstorming and interactive discussions as well as practical guidance to assist partners on WHO emergency health kits are also applied.  

An emergency health kit is a reliable, standardized, affordable and quickly available complete set of drugs, supplies and equipment that are needed either to provide basic health care for a stated population size or to manage a certain set of health conditions in situations such as population displacement, epidemics and mass casualty events.

The South Sudan Humanitarian Fund and EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, has been supporting the emergency response through provision of emergency kits to ensure humanitarian supplies are delivered and distributed to those most in need.