Rapid expansion of the Frontline Field Epidemiology Training Program across 124 districts in India, 2021-2023.

backgroundIndia conducts all three tiers of the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP). During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the country committed to rapid scale-up of its frontline public health workforce capacity through the 3-month in-service Frontline FETP. IMPLEMENTATION, ACHIEVEMENTS, CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED: Between January 2021 and May 2023, 300 district-level public health workers and 73 mentors were trained across 124 districts in eight states. Frontline FETP officers successfully completed 236 field assignments, nearly half of which were surveillance systems evaluations or surveillance data analyses and another half of which were case, cluster or outbreak investigations. Acute diarrhoeal disease (ADD) was the most frequently assessed or investigated condition and was one of many diseases exemplifying how FETP officers may need to work across multiple sectors (for example, health, water and sanitation) to help mitigate the public health impact of disease on the affected communities. Challenges (for example, time-consuming process of tailoring learning content, attrition, identification of qualified mentors and task-shifting) and lessons learned (for example, pivoting to a self-paced learning model, using case studies with real-world examples, and a blended learning approach) are described.

conclusionThis paper portrays the feasibility of not only implementing a 3-month FETP in India's diverse context but, given the complexity of health challenges in an increasingly interconnected environment, its flexibility to be naturally transitioned towards One Health FETP (named SectorConnect in India). It highlights a milestone in India's journey towards realizing the goals set under the One India FETP Roadmap for having at least one trained field epidemiologist per district.