Seychelles has begun its second Joint External Evaluation (JEE), which will assess the country’s preparedness for infectious disease threats.
The five-day assessment opened at the Savoy Hotel on 31 August 2026.
It brings together national and international stakeholders to review Seychelles’ health security capacity.
The assessment will also identify gaps and areas that need further strengthening.
Public Health Commissioner Dr Jude Gedeon said the evaluation measures Seychelles’ capacity under the International Health Regulations (IHR).
“JEE, Joint External Evaluation, is an evaluation of our local capacity, our preparedness as it were towards international regulations,” Dr Gedeon said.
The IHR came into force in 2005 and requires countries to establish core capacities for preparedness and response to infectious diseases.
Seychelles held its first JEE assessment in 2018.
This year’s assessment involves about 12 consultants from different countries, along with experts from Africa CDC and the World Health Organization.
The experts will assess 19 core areas of the Seychelles health system.
These areas include port health, laboratories and surveillance.
The team will also compare the results with those from the 2018 assessment.
“They will give us a score and compare the score with our previous assessment,” Dr Gedeon said.
The assessment will then identify areas where Seychelles needs to improve and invest further.
“Secondly they will identify gaps where we are lacking and where we need to invest more to improve,” he said.
Dr Gedeon said Seychelles has worked to improve several areas since the previous assessment.
He pointed to changes in disease surveillance, where authorities now use digital systems.
He also highlighted improvements to the electronic border security system at the airport.
Laboratory capacity has also increased, he said.
Dr Gedeon said Seychelles will soon receive SADCAS accreditation following work carried out in the sector.
“These are a few examples of core capacities that we have worked on and we believe that we have improved,” he said.
Seychelles has also completed its own internal assessment ahead of the external review.
However, Dr Gedeon said the country cannot determine its final score.
The international experts will assess whether Seychelles’ own scoring matches their findings.
“They will tell us if the score that we have given ourselves corresponds or not, and where we need to improve,” he said.
Human resources remain another challenge for Seychelles and other countries, particularly in the health sector.
Dr Gedeon said Seychelles relies on foreign workers for some specialist positions.
He cited foreign epidemiologists and statisticians as examples.
At the same time, Seychelles is seeking opportunities to strengthen its local workforce.
Dr Gedeon said authorities are also providing existing staff with additional training and skills.
“We are multiskilling trained people, giving them additional training and skills to better serve their responsibilities,” he said.
The Joint External Evaluation will continue until 4 September 2026.