Training needs assessment of veterinary practitioners in Ethiopia

Ruth Alafiatayo,Tewodros Tesfaye,Erika Galipo,Fasil Awol,Mariana Dineva,Erik Mijten,Abel B Ekiri,Isabella Endacott,Alasdair J C Cook,Gabriel Varga,Gewado Gellebo

doi:10.1007/s11250-022-03075-0

Abstract

Pastoral and agro-pastoral farming are extensively practised in Ethiopia, and the main livestock kept are cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, and camels. The livestock sector is faced with complex challenges including limited availability of well-trained and skilled animal health professionals. The objective of this study was to identify and prioritise areas for training with the goal of providing evidence to guide strategies to improve the skills, delivery, and governance of veterinary services across Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was developed and administered electronically to veterinary professionals in Ethiopia using the Qualtrics platform. Data were collected on select parameters including demographics, diseases of economic significance, diagnosis, disease prevention, biosecurity, disease control, treatment, epidemiology, One Health, disease reporting, and the participants’ opinions about training. The survey data was downloaded in Microsoft Excel and descriptive statistics performed. A total of 234 veterinary professionals completed the survey. Most participants were male (89.7%) and aged between 26 and 35 years (81.2%). Of the total respondents, 56.4% worked in government and 8.5% in private practice. Most participants perceived training on laboratory diagnostic testing, disease prevention, antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic sensitivity testing, basic epidemiology, and clinical procedures, as most beneficial. In addition, most respondents would like to receive training on diseases affecting cattle, poultry, and small ruminants. The findings from this study provide baseline information on priority training areas for veterinary professionals and could potentially contribute to national efforts to develop and implement a continuing professional development programme in the veterinary domain, in view of improving veterinary service delivery.

Highlights

IntroductionPastoral and agro-pastoral farming are extensively practised in over 60% of the land area in Ethiopia
A weighted score was adopted for four questions that asked respondents to rate their knowledge of antimicrobial resistance, epidemiology, disease prevention, and laboratory diagnostic testing
Most respondents were male, aged 26–35 years. This may be a reflection of veterinary professionals that attended the Ethiopian Veterinary Association (EVA) conference, but not necessarily a reflection of the entire population of veterinary professionals in Ethiopia

Summary

Introduction

Pastoral and agro-pastoral farming are extensively practised in over 60% of the land area in Ethiopia. The main livelihood of these farmers is from the production of livestock, mainly cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, and camels. The livestock sector is important to the national economy, contributing 16% of the total GDP, 33% of agricultural GDP, and 8% of export. The national herd in Ethiopia consists of about 55.2 million cattle, 29 million sheep and the same number of goats, 4.5 million camels, and about 50 million poultry (Shapiro et al, 2017). The contribution of the livestock sector to the country’s food security and poverty alleviation remains suboptimal. Disease has been reported to be one of the major constraints to growth of the livestock sector in Ethiopia (FAO, 2015). Animal disease has an important detrimental impact on livestock productivity, resulting in a relatively meagre contribution to food security and the alleviation of poverty

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Conclusion