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 Many of the shortcomings seen during the Haiti earthquake of slow
responses and uncoordinated relief efforts were repeated during the
Ebola crisis that erupted in West Africa a year ago, they said.
With Sierra Leone and Guinea continuing to report cases of the
deadly virus, the international community must act urgently, said
Carolyn Reynolds, external relations manager at the World Bank.
"We need to think outside the box," she said at a panel on global
health preparedness held on Capitol Hill.
The international community must build a rapid response system to
get supplies and healthcare workers onto the ground within days, not
months; improve coordination amongst multiple donors; and strengthen
healthcare systems, she said.
The next epidemic will strike faster and harder, and the
international community is not prepared, she warned.
Erin Hohlfelder, global health policy director at the anti-poverty
group ONE, said many of the same problems seen in Haiti, which
lacked a single aid tracking system, persist today.
There is no method for monitoring how much each government commits,
whether the aid is delivered and what happens on the ground, she
said.
ONE tried to build a tracking system, but found the information was
too disparate, she said.
"We really need to overhaul our response to crises," Hohlfelder
said.
United Parcel Service (UPS), the international delivery service, is
working on one logistical solution. UPS has worked with the UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to develop Relief Link, a handheld scanner
that will track supplies from departure point to delivery, said
Leslie Griffin, UPS senior vice president for international public
policy.
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The device uploads information into a central database, allowing
organizations to track down to the last mile whether aid reaches its
destination. Aid recipients are given ID cards with biometric data
embedded to record receipt, cutting down on fraud and lessening
duplication of aid delivery.
"These technologies are making sure that monies are even better
spent and go where they are most needed," Griffin said.
The UPS example demonstrates how public-private partnerships can
bring innovative ideas to aid delivery, said Charles Stokes,
president of CDC Foundation. He urged more conversations among
businesses, civil society, philanthropic groups and donors.
"The middle of the crisis is not the time to exchange business
cares. We have got to do better next time," Stokes said.
(Reporting by Stella Dawson; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
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