LISBON, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Portugal has received a mission from the World Health Organization (WHO) to analyze the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and implement the first pilot project of the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) in Europe starting from Monday.
The UHPR is a multi-country mechanism that aims to provide a better universal response to public health emergencies through "sharing health resources with partners in the areas of environment, animal health, defense, and home administration," said the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health (DGS).
During this week, working groups will be developed with health institutions from different sectors and visits to different regions of Portugal will be carried out.
Portugal's participation "is very important" to show the response mechanisms it used against COVID-19, such as "the digital transition, the vaccination system" and "the way public health acted in all areas levels," said Antonio Lacerda Sales, assistant Secretary of State for Health.
The final report of this work is expected to be presented at the WHO World Health Assembly. ■