Public service continuity planning: Business tools for greater government & healthcare resilience

When a disaster strikes, the capacity of businesses large and small to remain operational or?to reopen?as quickly as possible is critical for community resilience. It keeps the economy going, bringing income in at a time of need as well as providing products and services needed to survive, recover, and rebuild. Such a focus on business continuity is growing amidst micro, small, and medium businesses (MSMEs) as well as larger companies – but what about public service entities such as government agencies and hospitals???

The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), a Connecting Business initiative Member Network,?built on challenges and lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic. It?is using?its private sector experience to train and empower healthcare and government personnel so that they?can be more resilient in the face of disasters.??

Hundreds of staff from eighteen different hospitals and 22 government agencies have participated to date.?

An adapted?programme?built around?mentorship?

The?programme?invests?in individuals and gives?them the tools and confidence they need to become?resilience ambassadors and enablers?for the whole organisation – and, by extension, communities and the nation as a?whole.??

Over the course of nine months, PDRF’s?“Public Service Continuity Planning and Mentorship Program”?is broken down into four phases, each emphasizing different elements of business continuity as applied to the public sector. With a self-paced course as a starting point, the program offers unique content, interactive webinars, practical assignments, technical consultations, and support to translate learnings into an implementation plan.

As one of the participants,?Shiela?Gail?Satura-Quingco, Planning Director?of the?Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, reflected, “continuity planning may not be able to remove uncertainty, but it does give our agency a set of powerful tools we can use to prevent disruption from becoming destructive.”?

From these programmes, public-private Communities of Practice will be established to foster new resilience champions who will both support the response to the current pandemic and prepare communities for future disruptions.?

One of the key messages, however, is that a Continuity Plan is not something you write and let sit on a shelf. It’s a living document that should be regularly tested – and updated – based on simulations, tabletop exercises, drills, and assessments. A nimble, action-oriented approach to resilience and a “readiness” mentality are the two additional elements essential for participants and their organisations to be able to face disruptions.?

?This programme?has been developed by PDRF in partnership with the Office of Civil?Defense, with the support of the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance?and?New Zealand Aid.

What this means for the future of the Philippines?

A whole-of-society approach is needed for true resilience in the face of disasters and natural hazards. That’s why PDRF is extending its support and knowledge to the public sector – to foster collaboration and enable more organisations, communities, and the whole country to be better prepared for disruptive events, thereby ensuring a more effective response and recovery, no matter what the future holds.?