Health emergency response system needs stronger coordination and clearer operating procedures

2026-03-28 - 10:41

Bhutan handled the COVID-19 pandemic well, overcoming many challenges along the way. While valuable lessons were learned, the health emergency response system still needs stronger coordination and clearer operating procedures. These gaps were identified during a national simulation exercise held recently in Paro. A simulation exercise is in full swing. It combines an earthquake and disease outbreak scenario. The drill was designed to test how the country would respond to a major public health crisis. And the result, gaps in roles, decision-making, and inter-agency coordination. Despite having a national contingency plan, participants pointed out that unclear roles within the Health Emergency Operations Centre can delay decisions and create gaps or overlaps in response. Dr Saurab, a technical officer of World Health Organization said, “And during the exercise, we found that there has to be more kind of coordination role that has to come in play in terms of Health Emergency Operations Centre functionality based on the incident command system and also based on the SOP.” Karma Dhendup, Bhutan Red Cross Society’s health officer said, “If a pandemic were to hit our nation, one of our biggest concerns would be the limited human resources. As a small country, we already have a relatively small public health workforce. In such a situation, it would be challenging for our health professionals to manage the response effectively.” According to the World Health Organization, strengthening workforce capacity and coordination mechanisms remains a key priority for Bhutan to meet international health emergency standards. The simulation comes at a critical time, as Bhutan is finalising its National Action Plan for Health Security. It is to improve preparedness, response, and resilience to future health threats. Rinzin Gyalpo, an asst. programme officer of Department of Public Health said, “And this standard operating procedure will again undergo comprehensive revision by the programme, and it will be refined in consultation with our experts.” While Bhutan’s response system is improving, more needs to be done to boost coordination, readiness, and save more lives in future health crisis. Karma Samten Wangda