Health, education ministries launch online course for field epidemiologists
The Health Ministry has launched an online distance-learning course for field epidemiologists to help them improve their knowledge about epidemiological investigations, which might be useful when dealing with unexpected public health crises.
The 2012 Field Epidemiologist Training Program (PAEL) offers participants a unique online training methodology in which they can study from anywhere in the country.
"Many health workers have limited chances to attend training courses as they live in remote areas, precisely those places that are classified as areas with serious health problems," Sulistiono, the Health Ministry's human resources, learning and training center head, said on Friday.
Field epidemiologists have the responsibility of investigating unexpected health problems that need immediate intervention.
Some 140 epidemiology field assistants are currently attending the online PAEL pilot program in seven provinces: Central Java, East Java, Jakarta, North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, South Sumatra and West Java.
The program, developed by the ministry in collaboration with the Education and Culture Ministry's Information and Communications Technology Center (Pustekkom), began on Sept.11 and will run for the next 31 days.
Sulistiono hopes that such trainings would be developed further in the future. "The e-learning can be done from home, which means we can be more efficient in our spending," he said.