There are three levels of intervention when responding to complex emergencies: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary preventions include stopping violence in situations like war which may impact food shortages, health service collapse, migration, and other serious public health outcomes (Merson et al., 2020). Secondary prevention involves quickly detecting food scarcity and population movements and preparing interventions to reduce these occurrences at international, national, and local levels where complex emergencies can occur (Merson et al., 2020). NGOs and other relief agencies need to gather resources, respond, implement warning systems, train personnel, building supplies, and determine logistical capacity to respond (Merson et al., 2020). National efforts include having an emergency preparedness plan that provides for established health care policies, treatment and triage protocols, training, and reserves of drugs and vaccines (Merson et al., 2020). Tertiary prevention requires that all organizations, from international to national or military and local, have available resources to address infectious diseases Merson et al., 2020).
The UN Security Council plays a dominant role in determining how the world responds to conflicts and how assistance should be protected from abuse. Host countries are actively involved in the relief efforts and allow temporary asylum for refugees (Merson et al., 2020). Many NGOs are directly engaged in emergency assistance, and some government or international agencies require them to sign codes of conduct and other performance agreements. A significant weakness of NGOs is they are poorly coordinated and have a different vision for helping reestablish countries after an emergency and creating a community reliant on their resources or offerings (Merson et al., 2020). According to Poverty, Inc., relief groups and NGOs’ commercial interests can be complicated based on their financial backers and citizens’ reliance on free resources that render the community incapable of being self-sufficient post-emergency.
The Syrian crisis remains ongoing, with over 6 million Syrians displaced within the country with over 14 million Syrians needing humanitarian assistance (Concern Worldwide, 2021). Although this crisis has been going on for more than a decade and is still happening, one lesson learned is the impact international relations and political forces can play on minimizing violence. Countries that lack political or government structure are left to continual civil wars that have the worst and most detrimental impact on citizens. Global health should also include fostering and nurturing international relationships and immediate responses that could help deter or dispel civil conflicts. This seems to be a constant conflict for African countries struggling to find themselves politically; unfortunately, it leaves the citizens to fend for themselves.
References
Concern Worldwide (2021, December 22). 7 of the worse humanitarian crises to know in 2022. https://www.concernusa.org/story/worlds-worst-humanitarian-crises/
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