LMHRA Assistant Communications Manager & Others at the Workshop
The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) as part of efforts to create more visibility for the authority and align with the one-health global policy, over the weekend participated and joined the One-Health Policy Technical Working Group Multi-Sectoral Risk Communication and Community Engagement Group in Liberia.
With support from GIZ-Liberia and the Regional Programme Support to Pandemic Prevention in the ECOWAS Region (RPPP), the two-day Working Session on the Presentation of Key Informant Interview (KII) Finding and Strategy; was held at the Murex Plaza Hotel and Suites in Monrovia.
The meeting which was attended by LMHRA Assistant Communications Manager, Abraham Kolleh Morris, also had in attendance, representatives from the National Health Promotion & Communications Divisions of the Ministry of Health, National Public Health Institute of Liberia, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, National Disaster Management Agency, Orange Telecommunications Foundation, the media, GIZ, One-Health Secretariat, and the World Health Organization, among others.
The objective of the two-day event was to present key findings from the KII to stakeholders and as well facilitate an in-depth discussion to contextualize and validate the findings. It also sought to identify strategic priorities, objectives, and interventions for RCCE strategy. Resolve any existing ambiguities or gaps in roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms, obtain validation, and as well build consensus on the overall strategic approach to RCCE.
One Health Policy (OHP) is a multi-disciplinary, cross-sector approach, working at the local, national, and international levels, to combat health issues that arise at the human-animal-environment interface. It recognizes that the changing interactions between people, animals, plants, and our shared environment influence the public’s health, and aims to achieve optimal health outcomes through a collaborative, multi-sectorial approach to designing and implementing programs, policies, legislation, and research.
One of the core functions of achieving OHP is effective Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE). Hence, RCCE is one of the core capacities needed to prepare and respond to infectious disease threats, as outlined in the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations. It is the real-time exchange of information, advice, and opinions between experts or officials and people, animals, and the environment relative to threats to their survival, health, or economic and social well-being.
Effective RCCE enables those at risk to take action to protect their health and interrupt the transmission of diseases. Risk communication capacity is essential because effective emergency response often depends on complex behavioral changes at the individual, household, community, and societal levels. Shifting behavioral and social norms requires robust and trustworthy risk communication interventions that integrate evidence-based social and behavior change approaches.
Therefore, LMHRA Managing Director, Hon. Luke Bawo, seeing the need to elevate LMHRA’s own communications strategy, extended an invitation to the Communications Unit to participate and form part of Liberia’s RCCE platform. This invitation has provided the LMHRA to form part of RCCE experts who are currently reviewing for adoption, the National RCCE Policy and Guidelines for Liberia.
Even though Liberia has developed RCCE policies and strategies largely informed by experiences with Ebola and COVID-19, however, a comprehensive, all-hazards approach is lacking, leaving gaps in preparedness for a wider range of public health emergencies.
As it stands, the current policies often address issues reactively rather than proactively. So a shift towards proactive policy-making is crucial for improved preparedness and a more resilient health system. While Liberia participates in regional health networks, the integration of regional guidelines into national policies needs strengthening. Formalized mechanisms for alignment are crucial for harmonized RCCE efforts.