Public Health Emergency Situation Management in Dealing with COVID-19, Phuket Province
Keywords:
Lesson Learned,, Management,, Emergency Situations,, Public Health,, COVID-19Abstract
Background: Controlling COVID-19 requires efficient public health emergency management, which guarantees quick reaction, resource coordination, and calculated actions. It reduces disease transmission, safeguards public health, and increases the healthcare system's ability to withstand emergencies.
Objectives: This research was a qualitative study. The objective was to study the management of public health emergencies in dealing with COVID-19, in Phuket Province in the year 2020-2022.
Methodology: There were 48 informants purposively selected consisting of health professionals related to COVID-19 prevention and control in the province, district, and sub-district. Data collection was conducted with group interviews during 11-17 March 2022. Qualitative data were verified by triangulation method, and analyzed by using content analysis by grouping and describing by the research questions.
Results: The results of the study found that emergency management in dealing with COVID-19 in Phuket province under the mechanism of the Phuket Communicable Disease Control Committee. Medical and public health management was driven through the Phuket public health emergency operation center mechanism, had an incident command system, and used 7 strategies (7C) consisting of 1)Capture, 2)Case management and infection control, 3) Contract tracing, and containment, 4) Communication, 5) Community intervention and law enforcement, 6) Coordinating and joint information center, and 7) COVID-19 vaccine.
Conclusion: The paper emphasizes how well Phuket's emergency management system used the 7C methods and a structured incident command system to fight COVID-19. This all-encompassing strategy strengthened public health resilience by ensuring integrated healthcare responses, containment measures, and immunization campaigns.
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