Rapid Response Team Training in Oro Province, PNG

“We can hear you!” exclaimed Oro Province staff as their video started. And with that, the first virtual rapid response team (RRT) initiation training was underway.

RRT Zoom training with attendees and trainers in Oro Province and Port Moresby, PNG, and in Australia

RRTs are essential for the rapid containment of COVID-19 and other outbreaks and public health threats. These teams are comprised of people from different disciplines including epidemiologists, clinicians, infection control experts, sample collectors or laboratory staff, and risk communicators. In Papua New Guinea, RRTs are should be activated within 24 hours of notification of an alert and subsequent verification and risk assessment.

The Papua New Guinea National Department of Health identified sub-national RRT training as a key requirement in developing an all-hazards response capacity. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing number of cases in country, delivery of the training has required a creative approach.

On 5-6 May 2021, 10 staff from Oro province attended a virtual RRT training with facilitators joining from Port Moresby and Australia. Topics covered included outbreak investigation, risk assessment, community engagement, risk communications, infection, prevention and control, specimen collection and contact tracing. Despite the distance, facilitators and participants had some great discussions.

RRT Training materials

Over the coming weeks, Oro’s RRT staff will complete a series of activities to further strengthen the response capabilities of the province. Further outcomes from the training will include a RRT outbreak manual tailored especially for Oro Province and an after action review. We look forward to hearing how they have progressed during the follow-up session – which will be conducted in-person this time!

Face-to-face RRT training is currently underway in the Gulf Province, with further face-to-face and virtual training planned over the coming months. The virtual RRT training in Oro has been a great opportunity to explore new ways to deliver effective training to a larger audience countrywide. We are now taking a closer look at blended approaches for the RRT, which combine live virtual sessions and eModules with face-to-face delivery.

At conclusion of the training, one attendee said:

“We wish we had this training earlier, we should have known this last year and our response would be more effective. Now we know these things we will do this.”

And another:

“Thank you for coming here and doing this training with us, we were feeling demoralized but now I have the energy and feel motivated again to do my programs and to the activity plan we have set.”