ພິທີມອບຮັບໃບຢັ້ງຢືນ ຈົບຊຸດອົບຮົມລະບາດວິທະຍາພາກສະໜາມລຸ້ນທີ 11ໄດ້ໄຂຂື້ນໃນເວບາຍໂມງເຄິ່ງ ເມື່ອວັນທີ 29 ພຶດສະພາຜ່ານມາ ທີ່ໂຮງແຮມ ຄຣາວພລາຊາ ນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນໂດຍການເປັນປະທານຂອງທ່ານ ດຣ ຣັດຕະນະໄຊ ເພັດສຸວັນ ຫົວໜ້າກົມຄວບຄຸມພະຍາດ ຕິດຕໍ່ກະຊວງສາທາລະນະສຸກ ທ່ານ Dr. Peter M. Haymond ເອກອັກຄະລັດຖະທູດສະຫະລັດ ປະຈຳ ສປປ ລາວ Dr. Howard Sobel ຮັກສາການ ຫົວໜ້າອົງການອະນາໄມໂລກ ປະຈຳພາກພື້ນເອເຊຍ ຕາເວັນອອກສຽງໃຕ້ ໂດຍມີຜູ້ແທນເຂົ້າຮ່ວມທັງໜົດຈຳນວນ 40 ທ່ານ ຈາກກະຊວງ ກົມ ສູນ ສະຖາບັນ ແລະອົງການ DTRA CDC WHO ແລະ ADB ກໍ່ເຂົ້າຮ່ວມ.
ກະຊວງສາທາລະນະຮ່ວມກັບສູນຄວບຄຸມແລະປ້ອງກັນພະຍາດຂອງສະຫະລັດ ໂຄງການຫຼຸດຜ່ອນໄພຂົ່ມຂູ່ ສະຫະລັດອາເມຣິກາ ແລະອົງການອະນາໄມໂລກ ໄດ້ຈັດພິທີມອບຮັບໃບຢັ້ງຢືນໃຫ້ນັກສຶກສາຜູ້ທີ່ຈົບຫຼັກສູດລະບາດວິທະຍາ ເພື່ອສະແດງຄວາມຍ້ອງຍໍຊົມເຊີຍຜົນສຳເລັດທີ່ນັກສຶກສາຍາດມາໄດ້.
ກະຊວງສາທາລະນະສຸກໄດ້ຈັດຊຸດອົບຮົມລະບາດວິທະຍາພາກສະໜາມ ແຕ່ປີ 2009 ຈົນເຖີງປັດຈຸບັນ ໃນແຕ່ລະປີມີນັກສຶກສາເຂົ້າຮ່ວມທັງໝົດ 8 ທ່ານມາຈາກກະຊວງກະສິກຳ ແລະປ່າໄມ້ ກະຊວງສາທາລະນະສຸກ ກະຊວງປ້ອງກັນຄວາມສະຫງົບ ແລະກະຊວງປ້ອງກັນປະເທດ ໄດ້ຮັບການສະໜັບສະໜູນຈາກ ອົງການຄວບຄຸມ ແລະປ້ອງກັນພະຍາດຂອງສະຫະລັດ ໂຄງການຫຼຸດຜ່ອນໄພຂົ່ມຂູ່ ສະຫະລັດອາເມຣິກາ ແລະ ອົງການອະນາໄມໂລກ ບໍ່ວ່າຈະເປັນທາງດ້ານງົບປະມານ ແລະ ວິຊາການ.
ຈຸດປະສົງໃນການສ້າງຊຸດອົບຮົມແມ່ນເພື່ອຕອບສະໜອງຕາມຄວາມຮຽກຮ້ອງຕ້ອງການຂອງວຽກງານສາທາລະນະສຸກໃນການພັດທະນາຄວາມອາດສາມາດທາງດ້ານລະບາດວິທະຍາ ໃຫ້ພະນັກງານ ຜູ້ທີ່ຮັບຜິດຊອບ ວຽກງານປ້ອງກັນ ແລະຄວບຄຸມພະຍາດ ແຕ່ສູນກາງລົງຮອດທ້ອງຖິ່ນ.
ໃນປັດຈຸບັນແມ່ນລຸ້ນທີ່ 11 ແລະຈຳນວນນັກສຶກສາຜູ້ທີ່ຈົບໄປແລ້ວລວມທັງລຸ້ນທີ່ກຳລັງຈົບ ແມ່ນມີທັງໝົດ 86 ທ່ານ ຢູ່ຂັ້ນສູນກາງ 30 ທ່ານ ຂັ້ນແຂວງ 43 ແລະ ຂັ້ນເມືອງ 13 ທ່ານ.
ນັກສຶກສາລະບາດວິທະຍາ ຜູ້ທີ່ຈົບໄປແລ້ວມີບົດບາດສຳຄັນຫຼາຍຕໍ່ວຽກງານສາທາລະນະສຸກ ຄືການປະກອບສ່ວນເຂົ້າໃນວຽກງານກັນ ແລະຄວບຄຸມພະຍາດຕິດຕໍ່ ເຊັ່ນເຂົ້າຮ່ວມວຽກງານເຝົ້າລະວັງ ສອບສວນການລະບາດ ວິເຄາະຂໍ້ມູນ ແລະຮັບມືກັບການລະບາດ.
ນອກນັ້ນ ນັກສຶກສາລະບາດວິທະຍາຜູ້ທີ່ຈົບໄປແລ້ວ ຍັງສ້າງບົດສຶກສາຄົ້ນຄ້ວາກ່ຽວກັບບັນຫາທາງດ້ານສາທາລະນະສຸກ ທີ່ມີໃນປັດຈຸບັນເພື່ອຊອກຫາສາເຫດຂອງການເຈັບເປັນ ເພື່ອສະເໜີຂັ້ນນຳໃນການວາງມາດຕະການແກ້ໄຂແລະປັບປຸງວຽກງານກັນ ແລະຄວບຄຸມພະຍາດໃຫ້ດີຂື້ນໃນຕໍ່ໜ້າ.
VIENTIANE, LAO PDR – Another cohort of Lao field epidemiologists have successfully completed their one-year Field Epidemiology Training (FET) program at a graduation ceremony chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bounkong Syhavong, Minister of Health, on May 29 in Vientiane Capital.
The FET program is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (USCDC), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) together with the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Peter M. Haymond, U. S. Ambassador, Dr. Howard Sobel, Acting WHO Representative, Dr. Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh Director-General of Department of Communicable Disease Control, and delegates from relevant sectors attended this important event.
The Ministry of Health of Lao PDR, Department of Communicable Disease Control (DCDC) and National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE), have managed the year-long FET program each year since its introduction back in 2009. To date, they have successfully trained 86 field epidemiologists in Laos, and their work covers all 18 provinces in the country. The FET training aims to produce qualified field epidemiologists not only for every province in the country, but also some key districts, to work on life-saving public health initiatives in their communities.
“The FET program has played an important role in developing infectious disease surveillance and response capacity in Lao PDR. The applied nature of the training has equipped graduates with practical skills to conduct outbreak investigations required in their daily work” said Dr. Bounkong, the Health Minister.
The FET program was evaluated by a group of national and international experts in 2019, and findings confirmed that the FET program has demonstrated a clear benefit to public health in the country since its introduction ten years earlier, in February 2009. The investment has paid off well during the recent COVID-19 pandemic where many of the trained epidemiologists led surveillance, case investigation, contact tracing, sample collection activities and also strengthened the provincial Emergency Operation Centre that have contributed to the containment of COVID-19 transmission in the country. This reinforces the recommendations made by the joint group of experts in 2019 to ensure the sustainability of the program.
“We have seen from the Covid-19 pandemic that health security threats are complex and requires a whole-of-society response. Strong collaboration across different agencies and sectors is needed to manage threats. I applaud the Ministry of Health on demonstrating strong collaboration with other sectors and this program can be a model for other countries.” said Dr Sobel, the acting WHO Representative.
Much of the work and findings from FET trainees during their training program have been used by the Ministry of Health, developed and translated into health policies, contributing to public health system developments in the country. These include, for example, new vaccine initiatives for rubella, seasonal influenza and Japanese encephalitis.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic also reinforces the need for FET to have more human resources, clear structure at sub-national level, enhanced supervising and technical capacity, and coordination. The FET will continue with provincial level RRT training for district and village levels, strengthen the provincial Emergency Operation Centre, support data entry and health information activities on COVID-19, and conduct risk assessments on mass gathering as we move to the new normal.
“Congratulations to the Lao epidemiologists and health professionals who just graduated from the year-long FET Program in Vientiane! The United States is proud to support you and the Ministry of Health protecting the people of Laos from infectious diseases, including COVID-19," said Ambassador Haymond.