US-funded public health training centre opens in Ethiopia

"The construction of this new national training centre is part of the US government's long-term commitment to strengthening infrastructure for HIV/Aids and health systems in Ethiopia," said US Embassy chargè d'affaires, Peter Vrooman.

According to a statement from the embassy, "The centre will serve as a training and support hub for Ethiopia's national public health surveillance, research, and laboratory network, and will help to meet the growing demands for training in the areas of epidemiology, laboratory science, public health, and other fields that are severely lacking."

As the national centre for the coordination of public health training, the facility will provide a venue for other institutions including the ministry of health, universities, and international health organisations to bolster their collaborative engagement in the areas of research and training as part of ongoing efforts to prepare Ethiopia's national healthcare workforce to meet the needs of the population and to improve the capacity to identify and prevent the spread of infectious disease, protecting the lives of Ethiopians and Americans alike.

Through CDC, the United States has provided financial and technical assistance to EPHI for more than 15 years, improving national, regional, and facility-based laboratories, and supporting programmatic and surveillance activities that have helped stem the spread of HIV/Aids, sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis.