Launch of the first national field training program in epidemiology (FETP)
AbdulKarim Al-Abdullah: The Kuwait Center for Disease Control and Prevention, under the Ministry of Health, has announced the opening of registrations for the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) – Basic Level, the first of its kind in Kuwait, paving the way for training to commence between September and December 2026.
The program’s launch is a collaborative effort with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET), and the WHO Country Office in Kuwait, as part of the Ministry of Health’s efforts to enhance investment in developing national human resources and building sustainable capacities in public health and field epidemiology.
In its first phase, the program targets health inspectors within the Ministry of Health working in related fields, aiming to develop their knowledge and practical skills and enable them to apply these directly in their workplaces, thereby contributing to improving the efficiency of the surveillance and response system for health events.
The program adopts a training methodology that combines workshops with practical application through field tasks supervised by specialized mentors, with a focus on developing skills in epidemiological surveillance, data collection and analysis, field investigation of cases and outbreaks, and preparing evidence-based reports and recommendations.
In this regard, Dr. Mohammed Qasim Bahbahani, Acting Head of the Public Health Emergency Department, stated that this program represents a strategic step in the journey of developing public health in Kuwait, laying the foundation for a sustainable national program to train qualified personnel capable of transforming data into information that supports decision-making, enhances early detection of health risks, and enables rapid and effective responses, in line with international best practices and contributing to strengthening national health security.
Dr. Bahbahani called on Ministry of Health staff who meet the eligibility criteria to register within the specified period via the dedicated online link: https://www.moh.gov.kw/PHS/PHA/FETPForm.pdf, and to complete all required administrative approvals according to the established mechanism, to take advantage of this unique opportunity, which marks a new beginning in building national capacities in field epidemiology.
