The information was provided by the national director of Public Health, Helga Freitas, who considered Angola "an example" in the response to covid-19 due to the "successful" actions developed in controlling the pandemic over the last three years.
According to the person responsible, who was speaking at the closing ceremony of the project by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) of the United States of America (USA), Angola gave a "quick and effective" response during the Covid-19.
"One of the key elements for the success of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic was the creation of a multisectoral and multidisciplinary structure, following a roadmap and contingency plan for decision-making", she highlighted.
She highlighted the performance of the aforementioned structure in ensuring and coordinating actions, noting that the precision of its execution facilitated financing based on available resources.
"This allowed us to guide the Government of Angola's response to the covid-19 pandemic quickly and effectively from the beginning with containment measures adopted early that were gradually adjusted according to the epidemiological situation of covid-19 in the our country and globally", he highlighted.
Helga Freitas, who presented the country's roadmap in responding to Covid-19, also said that operational coordination with partners facilitated the implementation of activities and the making of adjustments in their execution.
The sustainability of pandemic control measures "was achieved through strengthening the National Health System for the diagnosis, hospitalization and treatment of Covid-19 cases".
She also noted the country's investments in human resources and the expansion of infrastructure, which saw an increase of "five times more" hospital and intensive care beds compared to the period before the pandemic.
The laboratory capacity for confirming cases has also been strongly reinforced," she stressed, highlighting that the strategy for implementing the vaccination plan was flexible and focused on gradually covering the population.
The national director of Public Health also praised the partnership with the CDC and its implementing partner the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), whose project was financed with 1.2 million dollars.
She considered that the partnership with American agencies contributed to the Ministry of Health responding to the pandemic effectively and based on scientific evidence.
The CDC and its partner AFENET played a crucial role in strengthening technical capabilities in epidemiological and laboratory surveillance, equipping laboratories and implementing quality improvement systems.
She concluded by highlighting that the partnership contributed to raising the level of Angola's capacity for the prevention, preparation and response to pandemics and epidemics.
