10th Anniversary of FETP Frontline DRC
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by
AFENET
Officially launched in 2016, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is celebrating ten years of existence of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme – Frontline (PETP Frontline), a decade of commitment, resilience and success in the service of public health.
In total, twenty-seven cohorts were trained and 667 agents from the Ministries of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare, Fisheries and Livestok and the Environment graduated with 662 active across the twenty-six provinces of the DRC, among which 139 women (21%) and 523 (79%) including 521 (78.7%) Epidemiologists (Doctors and Nurses), 67 (10.1%) Laboratory Technicians, 36 (5.4%) Veterinarians, 32 (4.8%) other profiles and 6 (1%).
These professionals constitute a true national force, supporting the health system in investigations surrounding cases, epidemics, and other health events. Their expertise has strengthened surveillance, improved emergency response, and protected communities.
To date, three new cohorts (28, 29 and 30) are being trained with CDC 3.0 materials, demonstrating the evolution and modernization of the program.
Twenty-eight frontline graduates also progressed to intermediate (3) and advanced (25) levels, thus consolidating a complete training pathway in field epidemiology.
This story is a national success story : despite persistent challenges related to geographical accessibility and insecurity in some provinces, the FETP Frontline DRC continues to train, mobilize and deploy key actors for public health.
On this 10th anniversary, we pay tribute to the three Ministries, all the graduates, the CDC-US partners, and the institutions that helped build this program. The challenges remain significant, but together, we reaffirm our commitment to continued expansion and addressing coverage gaps, so that every province can fully benefit from this vital expertise.
FETP Frontline DRC – 10 years of training, 10 years of service, 10 years of success at the heart of public health.
