KOROR (Palau Horizon) – Palau’s capabilities in managing large-scale mass distributions of medicines were being tested through the five-day Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) plan that focuses on anthrax drill from March 1 to 5 at the NgaraChamayong Cultural Center.
“The scenario is mass distribution of medicines because of an anthrax attack,” explained Pearl Marumoto, administrator of Emergency Health Program. “They’re using that to test the capabilities of the agencies, and how they respond as a nation to the emergency or disaster.”
The SNS is designed to provide a back-up and continuous supply of essential medical items to communities during emergency situations.
With response time of as little as 12 hours, the SNS has the capability to provide assistance to local health authorities that may be overwhelmed by the crisis.
The event was organized by the Emergency Health Program and participated in by government agencies that are involved in emergency situations, such the Ministry of Health, Bureau of Public Safety, the National Emergency Management Office, the airport, among others.
Marumoto explained that they focus on anthrax because it is one of the diseases that might require mass distribution of medicines.
On Wednesday, the groups’ discussion focused on Tabletop exercises.
“They talked about what they will do if there a real event,” said Marumoto.
Marumoto added that during the Tabletop exercises, the groups identified the key gaps in preparedness, captured those gaps and discussed improvement or corrective actions regarding the issues.
On Thursday, there was the functional drill. People did the simulations of the real events. “There were scenes at the hospital, the airport, the Palau National gym,” added Marumoto. There were volunteers acting as patients and people receiving the medicines.
Although the scenario was focused on the anthrax, Marumoto said that these are the same players, the same government agencies that will respond to tsunami or any other disasters.
