The State Health Systems Resource Centre, Kerala (SHSRC Kerala), conducted a consultative workshop to design simulation exercises for pandemic preparedness mock drills under the guidance of Dr Rajan N. Khobragade, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare.

Dr. Rajan N. Khobragade, ACS, the principal driving force behind this initiative, outlined the inception of the project, the progress made so far and the roadmap for advancing pandemic preparedness through structured simulation exercises. He also shared strategic guidance on scenario development and the overall design of the simulation framework.

The session was moderated by Dr V. Jithesh, Executive Director, SHSRC Kerala. Dr Jathavedus Mohanlal, Assistant Director, presented the concept note.

The workshop was attended by experts including Dr. Aravind A. (Professor & HOD, Infectious Diseases Department, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram), Dr. Harikumar S. (Assistant Director of Public Health, DHS), Dr. Dileep (District Surveillance Officer, Alappuzha), Dr. Rekha M. Raveendran (District Surveillance Officer, Kollam), Dr. Ajan M. J. (Assistant Director, Medical Health Administration,DHS), and Ms. Devika B. S. (District Hazard Analyst, KSDMA).

The workshop was coordinated by Dr Parvathy Thampy S., Research Coordinator, SHSRC Kerala. The workshop successfully initiated the development of a structured framework for pandemic simulation exercises and emphasized the importance of scenario-based preparedness planning for strengthening the state’s pandemic response capacity.