Cascade Model of Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP)

Abstract

India has the responsibility to interpret and initiate appropriate public health action and notify those events that are of public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC) as a signatory to International Health Regulation (IHR) (2005) and Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). The aim of the human resource goal of GHSA is to ensure adequate numbers of trained personnel for response to a public health emergency. Epidemiologists are an essential component of the public health workforce, and in ‘ Delhi Declaration of Epidemiology’ capacity building in epidemiology was identified as an important and urgent issue. Field epidemiology training programmes (FETPs) are competency-based training and service programmes in applied epidemiology and public health for building capacity which enhances better health response in the country. The goal of FETP is to build public health and epidemiological capacity through training to create high-calibre field epidemiologists and to strengthen the disease surveillance. The proposed cascade FETP model for India in this article is to strengthen epidemiological skills and disease surveillance at every level of health system in India. Expansion of FETPs to several institutions while maintaining the quality was emphasized to meet the global requirement of public health cadre, that is, one epidemiologist per 200,000 population.