Response to emerging threats requires strong institutions that are supported in meeting government identified workforce needs that will influence the development of the current ‘in-service’ workforce and that of the future ‘pre-service’ workforce through improved education and training opportunities and enhanced partnerships. The One Health Central and Eastern Africa (OHCEA) regional secretariat organized a regional (OH-SMART™) implementer training targeting senior faculty/activity leads and senior government representatives from Cameroon, Senegal, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and DRC. The meeting is held in Kampala starting today February 13th and will run up to 17th, 2017 at Kabira Country Hotel. Participants include government technocrats and academics from various disciplines.
The 38 training participants from all eight countries are being trained on the use of the OH-SMART™ mapping tool to assess needs and gaps in cross-sectoral workforce and operational systems in their country. Government representatives and faculty will benefit from the workshop and help countries operationalize One Health by developing workforce strengthening implementation plans. These plans will be used to complement existing workforce assessments that countries have conducted that are in line with preparedness and response to infectious disease threats.
The OH-SMARTTM tool provides a standardized process for creating systems-based maps of agency and stakeholder interactions around One Health (OH) challenges
Objectives of the training include;
Introducing the OH-SMARTTM tool and the importance of inter-agency collaboration in the prevention, detection and response to infectious diseases to all participants from the eight countries
Building capacity in leadership and facilitation skills that will support conducting the OH-SMARTTM process and workforce planning at country level
Eequipping participants with tools to identify cross-sectoral workforce gaps and challenges with regards to prevention, detection and response to zoonotic diseases in OHCEA member countries
Providing an overview of international and country assessments and other tools to assist with workforce planning, including national OH platforms, the CDC Zoonotic Prioritization Tool (ZDPT) as well as standards and capacities as articulated in the JEE, IHR, PVS, and GHSA;
Hosting a working session to identify how OH-SMART Implementation plan outputs can align with existing national and international workforce needs for each country;
Developing plans for implementing the OH-SMARTTM tool and other assessment tools/ reports and articulate how OH-SMART implementation plans can support workforce planning at the country level, including how analysis of existing assessments will be rolled down to countries to define workforce needs planning for OHW.