WHO Country Office, supported by South-East Asia Regional Office supported the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh to conduct a three-day Simulation Exercise from 12 to 15 December 2022. The SimEx focused on testing the coordination across multiple partners and stakeholders (both at national and subnational levels) during an emergency. The SimEx was a discussion-based tabletop exercise where participants were provided with a scenario of prolonged heavy rain, resulting in major flooding and landslides, overlayed on an increasing COVID-19 (Delta Variant) outbreak in a fictitious country called GlobalLand. The scenario of GlobalLand was chosen due to its similarity with Bangladesh. A total of 32 participants, 5 advisors and 6 facilitators representing multiple partners attended the SimEx.
The exercise highlighted gaps in understanding of public event coordination including knowledge of currently existing structures/mechanisms. There was a commitment by the counterpart to develop/revise SOPs and protocols to properly define and clarify the roles and functions of existing EOCs and incorporating lessons from the exercise such as the IMS for better event management.