Daily Times

The National Institute of Health (NIH), Pakistan has been conferred with the ‘Directors Award’ for their contribution in the field of epidemiology and public health emergency response.

According to NIH, the award was given to Pakistan during the Field Epidemiology Training Program, Epidemic Intelligence Service (FETP/EIS) International Conference of 2021 at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) USA. The Directors Award for Excellence was considered as the highest achievement award for those countries that have significant contributions toward successful responses to public health emergencies. The award was also to recognize excellence in epidemiological research and contributions that address public health issues by applying epidemiological principles and methods. He said that it is a matter of immense pride that among 82 FETPs across the globe, Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP), NIH has been recognized as the best program.

Prof. Aamer Ikram, Executive Director, NIH, and Director FELTP Pakistan, appreciated the FELTP team members for their tremendous performance, especially during the COVID-19 situation. This award stamped the relentless effort and contribution made by the program for outbreak investigation and response, he added. Since the emergence of COVID-19 FELTP trained epidemiologists have done remarkable work across the country. He said that the FELTP program at NIH was not only involved in the capacity building but working hand in hand with all provinces for establishing an effective surveillance system to prevent,detect and respond to prevailing and emerging communicable diseases. The evidence of their contributions in terms of scientific publications during the last decade was exceptional.