Solomon Islands Field Epidemiology Training Program (Sols FETP)
The Solomon Islands Field Epidemiology Training Program (Sols FETP) is an intermediate level FETP embedded within the Solomon Islands’ Government’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS). The program’s aim is to have competent field epidemiologists available and dispersed across the Solomon Islands.
Sols FETP is a UNITAR-CIFAL certified program.
History of Sols FETP
In 2018, two fellows from Solomon Islands successfully graduated from the FETPNG program. While they travelled to PNG for the intensive training workshops, the two fellows completed their field projects and public health interventions in the Solomon Islands. Alongside extensive consultation between the MHMS, FETPNG Coordination team and FEiA team, the experiences and skills gained by the fellows led to the establishment of the Sols FETP in 2021. Since then, three cohorts of Sols FETP training have been completed with 21 graduates in the field practicing their skills.
Sols FETP now has dedicated staff embedded within the MHMS and a curriculum that is highly contextualised to meet the needs of Solomon Islands. With most of the faculty being graduates from Sols FETP, the training is delivered in Pijin and draws on their experiences as field epidemiologists with the Solomon Islands health system. The faculty are supported by international mentors so the fellows meet the requirements of the program to graduate.
What is Sols FETP?
Sols FETP is a National Government initiative to develop a responsive public health workforce and strengthen public health surveillance systems across all levels of government, including the national and provincial levels. This will lead to decision makers at facility, provincial and national levels having high-quality evidence on which to base their actions to control and prevent diseases and poor health outcomes.
Fellows are trained in data collection, analysis and interpretation, disease surveillance and outbreak response. Fellows also conduct two projects during their training: the first to measure and understand a public health problem in their workplace, and the second to design, implement and evaluate an intervention to address the public health issue. Sols FETP fellows have conducted a wide range of projects related to surveillance system strengthening, non-communicable disease screening and assessment, malaria testing and infection prevention and control.
Why is Sols FETP needed?
Sols FETP will assist Solomon Islands in addressing communicable and non-communicable disease challenges. In addition to applying their skills day-to-day in their role as health workers, graduates have been involved in mass gathering events like the Pacific Games in 2023.
Continued investment in workforce strengthening is also required to enhance Solomon Islands’ preparedness for and response to climate-related disasters, including cyclones, which are expected to become increasingly severe. The geographic remoteness of many communities and the logistical challenges of reaching them underscore the importance of having a dispersed field epidemiology workforce.
If you would like to learn more about the Program’s vision for impact in Solomon Islands, please read the Sols FETP Theory of Change report, accessible for download by clicking the button below:
