AFENET Ghana celebrates World Field Epidemiology Day with compassion

African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET)-Ghana marked the World Field Epidemiology Day on September 7, 2023, with a health walk and donation to the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital, Accra, Ghana.

The health walk which was undertaken by residents, alumni, and faculty members of the Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (Ghana FELTP) as well as staff of AFENET Ghana, was aimed at creating awareness on the important role of field epidemiologists for global health security. The walk was also intended to call for investment in Field Epidemiology. The 5-kilometer health walk started from the Ayi-Mensah towards the Peduase hills.

The team proceeded to the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital to make a donation of food items, toiletries, medical equipment, and disposables. The donation was made as part of AFENET Ghana’s contribution to mental health delivery in Ghana. The presented items were donated by residents, alumni, and faculty of the Ghana FELTP as well as staff of AFENET.

The donation was delivered to the hospital on behalf of the Ghana FELTP Program Director by Dr. Donne Kofi Ameme, AFENET Regional Technical Coordinator for Anglophone West Africa.  In his remarks, Dr. Ameme emphasized on the alignment of this act of kindness with the year’s overarching theme of “increasing diversity, equity and inclusiveness in field epidemiology”. This gesture was in line with the vision of expanding the field epidemiologists’ scope to encompass the crucial domain of mental health and other underrepresented sectors.

Prior to the health walk and donation, the team met with other stakeholders during a Ghana Infodemic Management Ideation workshop in Accra Ghana. This was part of the awareness creation for the World Field Epidemiology Day celebration. The workshop was being attended by stakeholders from the Ghana Health Service, Food and Drugs Authority, UNICEF, US CDC, AFENET and also the CDC Country Director, Dr. Tony Ao.