MOH Launches Soroti Regional Public Health Emergency Operations Centre
By Grace Amoding
The Ministry of Health today launched a Regional Public Health Emergency Operations Centre at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, marking a major step in strengthening disease surveillance and response across the Teso sub-region.
The centre situated at the AIDS Suport Organisation (TASO) building is designed to improve early detection, monitoring, and coordinated response to disease outbreaks, enabling health authorities to act swiftly before situations escalate into major public health crises.
Speaking at the launch, Joseph Maurice Enabu, Head of the Community Health Department at the hospital who doubles as the incident commander said the centre will serve as a nerve hub for tracking disease trends and guiding timely interventions.
“Public health emergency management is about surveillance, planning, and response. We continuously monitor disease patterns, compare them with set thresholds, and act immediately when those thresholds are exceeded,” Maurice said.
At the core of the system is real-time surveillance supported by the national District Health Information System (DHIS2), through which health facilities report disease data. This allows rapid detection of unusual case increases and triggers alerts for action.
The emergency operations centre is equipped with digital monitoring screens that track disease trends at hospital, district, regional, and national levels. The system also monitors performance indicators from development partners supporting health interventions, ensuring accountability and timely corrective action.
The surveillance system operates from the community level up to the national level, with Village Health Teams and community members acting as the first line of detection. Suspected cases are reported to nearby health facilities and then consolidated at the regional emergency centre.
He said when disease levels remain within normal limits, the system operates in a ‘watch mode’, focusing on surveillance, preparedness, training, and public awareness. Once alerts are confirmed, the response escalates to preparedness and full response phases, followed by de-escalation once the threat is contained.
Oversight of the public health emergency system is provided by a Regional Steering Committee headed by the Resident City Commissioner John Michael Okurut and deputized by the Soroti district RDC will conduct multi-hazard risk assessments and develops seasonal calendars and oversee the centre’s operations.
Maurice called on the public to actively support the system by reporting suspected health threats through the toll-free SMS line 6767, where alerts are verified and acted upon immediately.
Morris explained that the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (PHEOC) at the hospital, will function as the nerve centre for monitoring disease trends, coordinating responses, and guiding decision-making at regional level.
Representing the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Mwanga Michael, Assistant Commissioner in charge of surveillance at the Ministry of Health, said the centre will significantly improve coordination in managing infectious diseases.
“This is going to be a very good centre for us to control outbreaks at the earliest,” Dr. Mwanga said.
He said lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic informed the decentralization of emergency response, allowing regional facilities like Soroti to act independently and faster without waiting for directives from Kampala.
Senior Executive Consultant SRRH Dr. Ben Watmon described the launch as a milestone in improving public health response in the region and called for collective responsibility in ensuring its success.
“This is a great day. The journey to establish this centre has required commitment, and we are proud to see it come to fruition,” he said.
He emphasized key pillars for the centre’s success, including a strong health workforce, community engagement, effective governance, reliable communication systems, and partnerships with stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Dr. Watmon acknowledged staffing gaps, particularly in public health nursing, and called for increased recruitment to strengthen operations.
The establishment of the centre is expected to enhance preparedness, protect communities, and significantly reduce the impact of disease outbreaks across the Teso sub-region.
