Implementation of the IHR Joint External Evaluation: Taiwan's Experiences

Lo, Yi-Chun

After the pilot visit, the JEE working group announced the launch of the JEE self-assessment on April 21. Members of the multisectoral team, supported by the respective authorities, were requested to submit point-by-point responses in English to the technical and contextual questions in the designated JEE element by May 16, 2016 , to the JEE working group. Documents that served as attachments to the responses could be submitted in their original text and language, but each needed to be accompanied by a summary of content in English with the focus on its relevance to the specific JEE question. The team was asked not to provide a self-scoring result. Throughout the process, the JEE working group facilitated communication and coordination among all departments, forwarded additional queries that were raised by the multisectoral team members to the Center for Health Security for clarification, provided support with English translation if necessary, and compiled the self-assessment report. Four high-ranking Taiwan CDC officials, each responsible for 4 to 5 JEE elements, were asked to review the reports with the team members who drafted the responses to ensure appropriateness of the content and representativeness of the report at the national level. The experts of the Center for Health Security answered queries forwarded by the JEE working group to ensure consistent understanding of each JEE question.