Review of The Preparedness for Establishing And Maintaining Core Capacities at Port of Kaohsiung by IHR External Experts, 2018

Abstract

Since 2011 to 2013, Port of Kaohsiung had established core capacities for IHR designated port and had been assessed by experts from Japan and Australia. In 2017, the Executive Yuan issued ＂Project for Operation and Maintenance of Core Capacities at IHR Designated Port＂, which regulated that external assessment be conducted every 5 years. In 2018, European Union experts were invited to conduct the assessment, which included not only regular documents and sites review, but also evaluation of the capabilities of integration and responses of all authorities at Port of Kaohsiung. In responding to the experts' assessment, Port of Kaohsiung conducted series of improvements. These measures included correction of algorithm of incident reporting at port, assured notification of vector surveillance results and feedback from affected units, expansion of isolation and evacuation capacity, reinforcement of notification and return mechanism for radioactive containers, and a bunkered water safety plan including periodic residual chlorine and Legionella monitoring. After the improvement results were submitted to the panel experts as a required reference for final scoring, Port of Kaohsiung received full marks and was certified as a port with sustainable development and recognized its core capacities.