Achievements
Within two years of active implementation, the GamFETP has created competence in interventional epidemiology at the central level and wide coverage of the country’s district surveillance system with surveillance, investigation and response capacity officers acquiring necessary knowledge and supervised practice for effective public health action. This places epidemiologic competence and surveillance close to the action in peripheral units (districts and health facility levels) providing the solution to an effective and efficient surveillance system.
Before the commencement of GamFETP, there were no District Surveillance Officers (DSOs) thereby preventing a consistent flow of surveillance information from health facilities and communities to the regional surveillance offices. The local responsibilities for surveillance and case investigations had no designated officers, and therefore surveillance activities were not dutifully conducted and strictly monitored. Consequently, as part of the implementation of FETP-Frontline, AFENET advised the MOHSW to designate some Public Health Officers in the country as District Surveillance Officers (DSOs). The MOHSW designated these officers and re-designated others at the regional level. These officers have now been trained in Frontline epidemiology giving them a basic understanding and competence in surveillance and the epidemiologic process.
Accordingly, a coordinated approach has been designed. The Frontline field epidemiology training is currently ongoing to enhance the emergency preparedness and response capacity of the health workforce by strengthening surveillance activities in rural and district areas. Seven cohorts have been trained comprising 198 national, regional, district and health facility public health officers along with clinicians and health workers in the service arms (Army, Police, Fire and Prison).