SIXTEEN health professionals on Thursday graduated from the Caribbean Regional Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (CR-FELTP).

The ceremony, held at the Herdmanston Lodge in Georgetown, was attended by Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony and Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narine Singh.
This programme, funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Ministry of Health, saw 16 health professionals from eight regions in Guyana being trained for seven months.
The CR-FELTP programme trains health professionals from different fields to improve the Caribbean’s ability to prevent diseases and protect public health through evidence-based actions and policies. In delivering his remarks, Minister Anthony noted that there is a growing need for awareness and timely reporting of diseases, hence training such as this one is timely.

“I think the importance here is that we’re starting to get more people in tune with some of the things happening locally, regionally and globally, and this is your first opportunity to understand a little bit more about diseases and how they transmit, and why you need to report, so that we can respond in time”, he stated.

Further, he expressed his hope for the course to be able to serve as a stepping stone for continued learning and as such, encouraged the graduates to seize opportunities for further training in responding to diseases. “I hope that with this first course that you have done that this is not the last one, I hope that it wasn’t too difficult and that you’ll go on to do other courses because ultimately, we want people to be properly trained so that they can respond appropriately to diseases.

In closing, the Health Minister said the skills gained during this training will also be useful, as the ministry is working on eliminating five infectious diseases from Guyana by 2030.

Meanwhile, Sandra Bedoya-Hanson, Public Health Advisor, Global Workforce Development Branch, US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, stated that this training is a testament to Guyana and CARPHA’s commitment and dedication to growth and strengthening of the country’s surveillance capacity.
Among those present at the proceedings were, Dr Laura-Lee Boodram, Head of CR-FELTP, Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA); Dr Quacy Grant, Government Medical Officer of Health and other officials.