Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme celebrates 15 years
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by
AFENET
The Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP) organized its 5th Scientific Conference and Competency Graduation from December 13 to December 15, 2022 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana.
The conference also marked the 15th Anniversary Celebration since the inception of the field epidemiology training programme in Ghana. The conference and anniversary celebration which was under the theme “The Role of FELTP in Achieving Universal Health Coverage Through Partnership”, was attended by over 298 participants in-person and 115 virtually from outside and within Ghana.
Key stakeholders who attended the conference included WHO, US CDC, KOICA and AFENET. Other implementing partners who participated were the Ghana Health Service, Veterinary Services Directorate, Food and Drugs Authority, Environmental Health Sanitation Department and the University of Ghana.
The conference provided the platform for FELTP residents, graduates and other public health professionals to showcase their works in the areas of surveillance, outbreak investigations natural/humanitarian disasters and COVID-19 related events over the past years.
A total of 51 oral and 58 poster presentations were selected for the conference. Various speakers at the conference highlighted the immense contributions made by GFELTP residents and alumni in the fight against recent public health emergencies especially, the COVID-19 pandemic and the chemical explosion in Appiatse, Ghana. They therefore reiterated the need for all stakeholders to support the training of more field epidemiologists to help combat current and future pandemics.
The conference saw the graduation of 35 trainees across six regions in Ghana from the Intermediate tier and 13 from Ghana, Liberia and Guinea Bissau in the Advanced tier. Various categories of awards were given to individuals and institutions for their excelling performances and dedicated services to the progress of the Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme.
