Action steps: governance structure for the public sector

• Early in the process, recognize and affirm that all entities are on the same team.  Identify common goals and a single mission.
• Pre-define protocols, rules, roles, and responsibilities across functions and administrative levels to support standardized approaches and actions.  Consider statutory, regulatory, and certification requirements as well as relationships and interfaces within the hierarchical structure of the government and health system.  Clearly delineate responsibilities among agencies involved in health matters.
• Formalize linkages among sectors and specify when health has primacy.
• Define ground rules for dealing with sponsors, host bodies, and organizers.  Who has primacy and oversight for specific issues?
• Facilitate interaction between the organizing committee and sub-national leaders.
• Facilitate interaction and cooperation with international partners.
• Well in advance of the event, organize a formal coordinating body to provide strategic-level oversight for medical and public health activities (see Unit 5 ).

For further information, see the links below:

• McIntyre LB and Visotina M.  Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Public Health Service Strategy  NSW Public Health Bulletin 1998; 9 (3). (pdf file)
• Mass gatherings and public health: The experience of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (Chapter 2 - Operational framework for health).  Tsouros AD, Efstathiou PA (Eds).  Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2007  http://www.euro.who.int/document/e90712.pdf  
• Mass gatherings and public health: The experience of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (Chapter 17 - International cooperation for public health).  Tsouros AD, Efstathiou PA (Eds).  Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2007 http://www.euro.who.int/document/e90712.pdf  

Last reviewed: 7 November 2008