Mandate:

To manage mass population health emergencies in order to reduce the public health impacts of natural disasters.

The core functions of the department:

• Development of public health policies, strategies and actions for responding to large scale mass population health emergencies before an event which are intended to minimize the extent of damage when natural disasters does occur.
• Development and institutionalization of rapid health needs assessment system of disaster-affected populations
• Development of plans to respond to the needs efficiently and prevent further adverse health effects,
• Development and institutionalization of systems for evaluating relief program effectiveness,
• Capacity building of health workers in skills and knowledge needed for disaster management
• Development of emergency reports and work effectively with both the broadcast and print media, public health professionals need to understand the media's perspective on the disaster and their perceived role in reporting these events to the public
• Coordinate with other potential partners and public health agencies in responding to disasters which include volunteers, both as individuals and as a part of volunteer organizations