The College of Public Health at Kuwait University has explored with the Kuwait Center for Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health the possibility of incorporating the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) into the college’s academic curricula. This initiative comes as part of efforts to strengthen mutual cooperation and enhance educational and training programs in support of preparing specialized national cadres in the field of public health.
This was discussed during a meeting between the Acting Dean of the College of Public Health at Kuwait University, Dr. Mohammed Al-Khamis, and the Acting Director of the Kuwait Center for Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mohammed Behbehani. The meeting followed up on an earlier visit dedicated to this matter and was attended by the Acting Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Mustafa Al-Zoughool, and faculty member in the Department of Public Health Practice, Dr. Hala Al-Essa.
The two sides discussed mechanisms for aligning the program with the regulations and approved frameworks of the Health Sciences Center at Kuwait University, in addition to reviewing the graduation requirements for the bachelor’s program to ensure compatibility with the needs of the public health sector at the Ministry of Health and to strengthen national health security amid the growing demand for qualified young national professionals in this field.
The meeting also addressed ways to enable graduates of the Health Research track in Epidemiology and Biostatistics to continue their training in the various stages of the Field Epidemiology Program after graduation, as well as cooperation in implementing research projects, workshops, and specialized training courses in epidemiological investigation and the control of infectious diseases.
The Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) is considered one of the internationally recognized specialized programs launched in 1980. It has contributed to strengthening countries’ capacities to monitor and respond to health threats through practical field-based training, which constitutes approximately 75 percent of the program’s components.