The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) International Health Regulation Strengthening Project (IHR-SP) in close collaboration with the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Institute of Public Health (IPH) Lahore and the Department of Health & Social Care Punjab, hosted an Integrated Disease Surveillance & Response (IDSR) Training of Trainers (ToT) from 6-8 May 2025. This workshop aimed to equip IPH faculty members with the expertise needed to act as Provincial Master Trainers in IDSR, extending the programme’s impact within Pakistan’s public health system to frontline health managers and practitioners.

Enhancing Public Health Capacity

The training focused on International Health Regulation (IHR) Prevent, Detect, and Respond strategies to strengthen global health security efforts. IHR-SP’s technical experts developed the training curriculum and materials, and facilitated delivery of the three-day workshop. The participants engaged in comprehensive discussions on public health surveillance, outbreak investigation, and data-driven decision-making. The event provided hands-on exercises to refine participants' skills in disease detection and outbreak response, ensuring they could effectively cascade this knowledge to health managers and practitioners.

Key Highlights and Future Directions

Prominent health leaders, including Prof Dr Saira Afzal, Dean of IPH; Dr Abdul Jabbar, Director of Communicable Diseases and Epidemic Prevention and Control; and Dr Muhammad Sartaj, UKHSA IHR-SP Country Lead, shared their insights on strengthening disease surveillance networks.

In his opening words, Dr Muhammad said, “Strong health systems thrive on collaboration. Partnering with public health academic institutions provides an opportunity to equip the future public health workforce with the knowledge and skills that ultimately strengthen health systems, improve disease surveillance, and support global health standards and security.”

The workshop concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony, acknowledging the efforts of the newly trained Provincial Master Trainers.

Moving forward, IPH will play a pivotal role in advancing multi-sectoral outbreak response planning and data-driven disease control mechanisms. IDSR training will be incorporated into the IPH academic curriculum and delivered by the Provincial Master Trainers to medical staff in Punjab province, reinforcing the faculty’s role in public health education and sustainable capacity development.

The commitment of NIH, IPH and UKHSA to integrating IDSR into the national public health system further strengthens Pakistan’s proactive approach to global health security and outbreak preparedness. With these newly trained Master Trainers, Pakistan moves toward a more resilient and data-driven disease surveillance system, ensuring effective health interventions and rapid outbreak response.