Amman – With support from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ministry of Health (MOH) officially opened its Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which will enhance the Ministry’s ability to rapidly respond to health emergencies, whether a disease outbreak, natural disaster, or other public health threat. The EOC will function as a central location for gathering real-time health data from Ministry hospitals and other facilities and will enable information to be shared with governorate field sites in Jordan.
The EOC also gives the Ministry the capability to communicate with similarly equipped EOCs in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere in the region.
During a ceremony held at the Ministry of Health, U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells underscored the importance of emergency preparedness and cooperation across governments in health emergencies, saying “Whether on the border, in a hospital, or monitoring an emerging crisis from the EOC, it is only through information sharing that Jordan and its neighbors will continue to prevail against public health challenges.”
The EOC’s trained technical team is prepared to respond to country-based and regional all-hazards emergencies, and the EOC houses state-of-the-art equipment such as advanced video teleconferencing equipment which will allow the EOC to connect and share information with other EOCs. The EOC’s innovative data collection system will, in an emergency, allow for faster and more efficient analysis of information received from healthcare workers, laboratories, and clinicians in the field, facilitating quicker response and effective resource allocation to help areas most affected and keep the public informed.
Minister of Health Dr. Ali Hyasat highlighted the critical coordination role the EOC will play among the Ministry’s various directorates, as well as other parts of the government of Jordan. He also noted the importance of emergency preparedness in meeting World Health Organization International Health Regulations
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with the MOH Crisis Management Unit to equip the EOC and train staff on health emergency response best practices. Funding for the project came from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation’s Biosecurity Engagement Program.
