ABOUT US

EMTs are organized groups of health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and health operations support staff, that help to provide essential and life-saving health care to individuals and communities affected by natural disasters, armed conflicts, disease outbreaks, and other health emergencies. They may be deployed by governments, militaries, non-governmental organizations, or international organizations, such as the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, and may have different names, such as Disaster Medical Assistance Teams or Health Emergency Response Units. EMTs may be purposed to respond to emergencies in their own countries (national or subnational response), in other countries (regional or international response), or both. They form a critical part of the rapid response and surge capacities of health systems and contribute to the national and global health emergency workforce. EMTs are an essential element for strengthening preparedness, response, and resilience in health emergencies, and ultimately, for saving lives and alleviating the suffering of affected people and communities.

The EMT Initiative is a global programme led by WHO in collaboration with the EMT Network – a wide and diverse network encompassing EMTs, national and international organizations, academic institutions, stakeholders, and partners from across thehumanitarian and global health emergency sectors – with works to:

• Improve the quality and timeliness of health services provided by EMTs in response to a disaster, outbreak, conflict, or other health emergency; and
• Strengthen national systems and capacities for rapid mobilization, interoperable surge deployment and effective coordination.

It works to achieve this through three main lines of action: (1) Capacity building, (2) standard setting and quality assurance, and (3) emergency response.

The EMT 2030 Strategy calls on countries and organizations to take a proactive approach, and to build and strengthen their EMT and rapid response capacities by implementing four critical steps:

1. Adopt the EMT guiding principles and standards (the EMT Methodology) and adapt to local context;
2. Establish a surge system at country level to facilitate rapid mobilization and requests for assistance if/when needed;
3. Strengthen technical and operational skills of the health workforce; and
4. Document to inform evidence-based strategies and share best practices.