United States and Pakistan Establishing a Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program in Pakistan

August 31, 2006 - At the request of the Government of Pakistan, two U.S. Agencies of the U. S. Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in collaboration with the Pakistani Ministry of Health (MOH) and several other partners, are establishing a Field Epidemiology Training Program in Pakistan. The Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Pakistan will fund this program for a three-year period.

A one-week Curriculum-Development Workshop, beginning September 12, 2006, will mark the official start of the program in Pakistan. The goal of this workshop is to identify the public-health workforce-development needs for Pakistan through facilitated discussions with Governmental and non-governmental partners.

The FELTP will focus on developing epidemiologic capacity within the Pakistani Ministry of Health, establish a high-quality laboratory system, pilot an informatics component for disease surveillance, and collaborate with Prime Minister Musharraf's program on hepatitis prevention and control. HHS will also collaborate with the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist the Pakistani Ministry of Health in developing a legal framework for disease surveillance in Pakistan.

Last revised: August 17, 2007