| ObjectiveTo understand current dispatch and management situation of CDCs’(Chinese Centers for Disease Control and prevention)professionals in public health aid to Sierra Leone;To explore and discuss the challenges faced by CDCs in providing public health aid to Africa.MethodsIn this study,a cross-sectional approach is developed through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate public health professionals who have participated in the Sierra Leone aid work from August 2014 to June 2017,during which Ebola has been prevalent.Questionnaire surveys and in-depth personal interviews are used to collect the basic information of public health professionals’dispatch from CDCs,the conditions of overseas working and living,the willingness to participate in further aid work to Africa,the suggestions about public health aid to Africa,etc.At the same time,this study conducts in-depth individual interviews with aid professionals and experts in the fields of global health and foreign health aid.Moreover,the SWOT analysis is used to analyze the internal and external factors of public health aid by CDCs.Results1 In this study,the information of 95 public health professionals is gathered,whose average age is 37.59±6.47 years old.There are 33 professionals in training team which are divided into 4 batches and 62 in laboratory testing team which are divided into 9 batches;86.32%(82/95)are male and 13.68%(13/95)are female;88.42%(84/95)are married;92.63%(88/95)have intermediate professional titles or above;87.37%(83/95)earned the master’s degree or above;the work fields of 63.16%(59/95)include viral diseases;73.68%(70/95)consider their English skills as good or better;and the aid time of 71.58%(69/95)lasts 2 months or longer.2 In this study,of the 95 professionals,72 come from the China CDC,20 come from ten provincial CDCs,3 come from three municipal CDCs.3 In this study,among the 95 professionals,87.37%(83/95)have received pre-training.They know about 7 major infectious diseases in Sierra Leone,and the least known disease is Lassa fever.83.16%(79/95)of the professionals have acquired knowledge of infectious diseases before leaving.4 In this study,the common problems encountered by professionals in Sierra Leone are traffic safety(73.68%),the lack of understanding of local cultural customs(55.79%)and life safety(44.21%).13.68%(13/95)of the professionals had symptoms of fever,31.58%(30/95)of the professionals experienced diarrhea symptoms.56.32%(49/95)had high or very high mental pressure which mainly came from work responsibility in Sierra Leone.5 In this study,among the 95 professionals,58.95%(56/95)think that the aid work affects their original work;77.90%(74/95)think the aid work is helpful to their current work,92.63%(88/95)think the aid work has significant effort for personal development.The main helps to personal development are enriching life experiences(96.84%),improving communication skills(65.26%),and adaptability(62.11%).6 In this study,among the respondents,97.90%(93/95)think it is necessary to carry out public health aid work,and 90.53%(86/95)express willingness to participate further aid program.Advised dispatch period differs from 3 months or shorter by 39.53%(34/95)to 6 months or shorter by 33.72%(29/95).The three initial factors contributing to participate in the aid work are higher wage subsidies(64.21%),more life experience(58.95%),and title promotion(56.84%).7 Recommendations on public health aid to Africa:Firstly,On the basis of clearer goals for foreign aid,considering the characteristics of the recipient countries,various measures shall be taken according to local conditions.In the issue of the method of public health aid professionals’ selection,it is necessary to set a reasonable dispatch period according to the goal of foreign aid.Secondly,it’s essential to expand the scope of professional’s selection and optimize the staffing of the aid team.At the same time,a well-considered training plan of foreign aid professional will also be helpful.In addition,before the foreign aid professional goes abroad,comprehensive and targeted pre-departure training and the establishment of a sound logistical support for personnel and materials is definitely indispensable.In order to absorb more public health professional to participate in foreign aid work,an actively developing and appropriate incentive mechanisms and supporting policies shall be made.8 SWOT analysis of public health aid in Africa from CDCs.From the perspective of internal resources and capabilities,CDCs have a wealth of experience in the prevention and control of infectious diseases,good professional skills,and a disease control system with Chinese characteristics.However,there still exist shortcomings,such as the lack of experience in public health aid,the deficiency of public health aid planning,and the shortages in human resources.In the domestic and international social environment,where emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases outbreak,government makes national political commitments,China-Africa friendly relations and traditional aid providers decrease,CDCs are also facing a series of challenges.For example,under the pressure of competitive relationship among traditional aid providers,instable policy environment of recipient countries,doubts and expectations from the domestic and international society,imperfect China’s foreign health aid mechanism and the lack of national supporting policies,all threaten CDCs’ foreign aid program.ConclusionThe scientificalness and rationality of personnel staffing for public health teams are very important.To absorb more public health personnel to participate in foreign aid work,it is necessary to strengthen the development of incentive policies and pay attention to the comprehensiveness and pertinence of the content of pre-departure training.In the work of public health aid to Africa,CDCs need to propose a detailed Africa public health aid plan,in which special advantages of CDCs shall be taken to establish public health cooperation mechanism with African countries and the training of international public health workers shall be well considered.Novel national supporting policies ought to be developed to make sure that the public health aid work will be conducted orderly and steadily. |
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