By Memory Chatonda

Blantyre, June 30, Mana: Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) under Ministry of Health has emphasized that the country should have well trained and adequate front line health workers to effectively respond and scientifically investigate various public and animal health outbreaks to avert future catastrophes.

PHIM Chief Epidemiology Officer, Grace Funsani said so far PHIM through Malawi Front Line Field Epidemiology Training, has trained 266 front line health workers across the country with funding from United States Centre for Disease Control since 2016.

She disclosed this Saturday during the graduation of 18 front line public health and animal health workers in Blantyre.

Funsani said the newly graduated front line workers have undergone three months training, acquiring skills to conduct scientific investigation on public health emergencies such as cholera outbreak, alcohol poisoning in Manase, suspected rabies, Typhoid fever, measles cases in under five children and high prevalence of scabies.

“Our aim is to ensure that all the districts across the country have such front line workers to respond, investigate and make recommendation to their studies for the country to ably prevent or manage any outbreak in case of its reoccurrence," she added.

Chief Preventive Health Officer for Blantyre District Council, Innocent Mvula said was optimistic that the front line workers such as Disease Surveillance Officers, Veterinary Officers and others who have undergone the training, will use the skills gained to respond to public health emergencies in a well-coordinated manner.

Coordinator for Integrated Disease Surveillance Response for Mulanje District Health Office, Masilina Msamanyata hailed PHIM for the training.

Msamanyata who was one of the graduates said her study which focused on 'Analysis of Surveillance Data of Cholera Outbreak at Mulanje District Hospital, Thuchira and Namphungo Health Centres recommends that the Director of Health and Social Services should lobby for support from partners to enable the health office respond rapidly to any public health emergencies.

PHIM is a government research institute as well as national public health institute under Ministry of Health with the mandate to do health surveillance research and disease prevention.