24 May 2016 ¦ Geneva - The Director-General of WHO has issued certificates to the emergency medical teams of China and Russia to confirm their ability to provide mobile emergency field hospitals and staff in the event of natural disasters and disease outbreaks.

 Dr. Margaret Chan said: “I thank the two countries for participating in this process and congratulate them for this respectable achievement.”

 An emergency medical team from China and two emergency medical teams from Russia passed WHO's rigorous evaluation and certification procedures. Dr. Chen added: "This means that after a disaster occurs, if the affected country requests help, we can quickly deploy a medical team that meets WHO's high standards."

 Today, Dr. Chen will meet Dr. Igor Yakirevitch, head of the Wild Hospital of the Russian Federation’s Emergency Situations Department, and Dr. Valery Shabanov, head of the Tahita Field Hospital, and issue a certificate to him. On May 22 (Sunday), Dr. Chen met with Dr. Liu Zhongmin, head of China International Emergency Medical Team (Shanghai), and issued a certificate to him.

 China and Russia are the first countries to register to participate in the assessment process. Both emergency medical teams have demonstrated that they are committed to WHO's guidelines for patient care and are in line with the criteria set out in the “Classification and Minimum Standard for Foreign (Emergency) Medical Teams in Sudden Disasters”.

 Dr. Ian Norton, who heads the relevant work of the WHO Emergency Medical Team, said: “The accreditation process involves liaising with WHO through peer-directed projects for several months, with specialist support.”

 More than 60 emergency medical teams in more than 25 countries are trying to meet the minimum standards set by WHO. It is expected that this figure will rise to 200 teams. WHO works with governments and organizations to register medical teams from all over the world.

 During emergencies, emergency medical teams play a key role in providing expanded support for national health systems by providing clinical care to people affected by disasters. Through the assessment and certification of emergency medical teams, WHO can convince the affected governments and their peoples that well-trained medical personnel and self-sufficient teams will respond to disasters in a predictable manner.