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Unit 4: Governance structure for the public health sector

One of the most challenging aspects of public health preparedness is the need for unified command and coordination among several agencies with often overlapping responsibilities under the jurisdiction of different ministries or subnational levels of government.  Consequently, excellent communications and coordination mechanisms are needed to ensure that all stakeholders understand their respective responsibilities, and that appropriate command and control arrangements are in place to manage situations as they arise.

This requires creation of a high-level governance structure for health to:

  1. clarify roles and responsibilities,
  2. develop the necessary agreements and protocols to ensure effective leadership and collaboration, and
  3. look at the event’s planning and delivery with a “public health lens” (i.e., how will each decision contribute to the best health outcomes?).