Date: 2017-10-04 08:44:26 ID: 1719
Bobo-Dioulasso, 02 October 2017 – Within the framework of the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancements (REDISSE) in West Africa project, the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO) and the World Bank have organised a meeting to streamline interventions of the project implementation partners.
The principal objective of this four-day meeting is to ensure better coordination of the various interventions of partners and implementing agencies so as to achieve synergy in the project implementation interventions.
More specifically, it involves the following:
1. To ensure the sharing of information among countries, implementing agencies and partners, on the REDISSE project implementation strategies;
2. To operationalise the activities relating to the establishment of the Epidemiology Surveillance Centres (ESC), build the capacity of district laboratories with the support of implementing partners such as CCISD, Mérieux Foundation, as well as countries and other partners;
3. Undertake the training of country-level management staff in epidemiological interventions in collaboration with the University of Ouagadougou, the University du Ghana, countries and partners;
4. Operationalise epidemiological surveillance and response interventions in collaboration with partners such as WHO, OIE, CRSA and countries;
5. Propose a relevant work schedule for all implementing agencies and partners.
The first day was devoted to an overview of the achievements and challenges relating to the Masters level training in FELTP within the framework of the WARDS project. It also focused on harmonising and operationalising the interventions by countries, WAHO and the training institutions (University of Ouagadougou, University of Ghana) for the training of country-level management staff in epidemiological interventions within the framework of the REDISSE project.
In his introductory statement, Mr John Paul CLARK, Coordinator of the REDISSE project at the World Bank, recalled the genesis of the establishment of the REDISSE project, before indicating the principal objective of the project, which is to respond to larger scale epidemics and in a more efficient manner at the regional level. To conclude, he commended the presence, at the meeting, of representatives from countries involved in the three phases of the REDISSE project.
In his official opening statement, the Director General of WAHO, Dr Xavier CRESPIN, commended the World Bank for funding several regional projects among which is the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) in West Africa project.
The DG/WAHO explained the rationale of the meeting, indicating that with lessons drawn from implementing the West Africa Regional Disease Surveillance (WARDS) project on epidemiological surveillance and response, the first World Bank-funded project which ended June 2017, WAHO decided together with the World Bank to organise the meeting to streamline interventions with implementing partners in order to ensure better coordination and monitoring of interventions to achieve efficiency and synergy.
Dr Crespin launched an appeal to countries to support the implementation of the various interventions under the REDISSE project through “the practical involvement of the various technical departments to achieve better ownership with a view to strengthening national health systems”.
The Director General of WAHO thanked the World Bank group for its financial and technical support towards the implementation of various on-going projects at WAHO. He also thanked all partners for the various forms of technical and financial support they continually provide to WAHO and ECOWAS member States for surveillance and response against epidemics as well as the strengthening of the health systems of member States.
According to the programme, the first day (02 October 2017) will bring together the Universities of Ouagadougou and Ghana to discuss the continuation of the FELTP training; the second and third days (03 and 04 October 2017) will be devoted to CCISD and the Mérieux Foundation for the establishment of 47 CSE and capacity building for 47 district laboratories. On the last day (05 October 2017), discussions with focus on support from WHO, OIE and CRSA towards the project implementation.