The Community Health Programme of SPC funded in 1997 a consultancy whose
objectives were to identify a framework for the development of a modular training in
public health surveillance (including field epidemiology).
The project is based on the networking between
available training resources in the Pacific. The training scheme will include distance
learning and supervision through the use of advanced information and communication
technology. It will have full academic recognition and fit the real-life Pacific-Island
field situation.
Key professionals from the following training institutions and
international agencies were consulted. Among them: the Fiji School of Medicine, UNICEF,
WHO, University of Hawaii, Department of Community health of the University of Auckland,
Wellington CDC, New Zealand Overseas Development Agency, SPC, University of Papua New
Guinea, the Micronesian Human Resources Development Centre.
The report:
Service-Oriented Training in Public Health--A
Model for Enhancing Public Health Surveillance in the Pacific
The work and report was funded by SPC, with a contribution of ANU
for Dr Patel's availability and working time.
The report has been being
air-mailed to the Departments of Health of the Pacific Islands Countries, training
institutions, regional/international agencies, and aid-donors, for their appreciation and
feedback.
It is also available on request by sending an e-mail to SPC
PHS&CDC Section.
The feedback received from many health/training
professionals can be summarised by the word 'enthusiasm'. The content and the
recommendations of the report show the way on how 'Enhancing Public Health Surveillance in
the Pacific' can be achieved through a 'Service-Oriented Training in Public Health'. The
next critical step is the implementation of the recommendations and content of the report.
We hope this will be done with the same feeling of collaboration and enthusiasm that Dr
Patel experienced during his work. We believe this document is of outstanding importance
for the Pacific Island region.
> abstract
Among the outcomes:
>The establishment of a regional working group
>The development of a website on distance education in health for
Pacific Islands
The results of this consultancy performed by Dr Mahomed Patel have
been presented during the Pacific Telehealth Conference held in Noumea, New Caledonia, 30
Nov.-3 Dec. 1998.
At the end of the conference, a regional working group has been set
up to continue the work initiated. Members of this working group are linked by an e-mail
discussion list called PACDEH (Pacific distance education in health), which is appended to
PACNET, the e-mail listserver of the Pacific Public Health Surveillance
Network.
The
group conducted a survey of distance education programmes and collected the
results of experience available in the region. The information collected is now available through a common regional
Distance Education www site and database at the following address:
http://www.spc.int/Health/DistanceEducation