Contain This: The Latest in Global Health Security - Strengthening Health Protection and Laboratory Capacity in Fiji with Dr Aalisha Sahu Khan and Professor Patrick Reading

Strengthening Health Protection and Laboratory Capacity in Fiji with Dr Aalisha Sahu Khan and Professor Patrick Reading

09/07/20 • 45 min

Contain This: The Latest in Global Health Security

Today on the show, we have Aalisha Sahu Khan and Professor Patrick Reading. Aalisha is the Head of Health Protection at the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, where she oversees a broad portfolio that includes environmental health, health emergencies and climate change and communicable disease control. Patrick is a scientist and educator at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza based at the Doherty Institute at the University of Melbourne.
In this episode, Patrick talks about the Doherty Institute’s partnership with The Pacific Community, SPC, to increase laboratory capacity in Pacific Island countries to test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
In addition, SPC has been working with the WHO Joint Incident management Team lab cell and the Pacific Islands Society for Pathology have been working on a protocol whereby up to 4 or 6 samples could be tested in in a single GeneXpert cartridge to scale up testing. Patrick will give us an update on Doherty’s support for this development.
Aalisha reflects on the work that has gone into expanding the Fiji Centre for Disease Control's capacity to be able to test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and what having domestic capacity has meant for preparedness and response.
For more information about the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, visit our website https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au
Connect with us on Twitter via @CentreHealthSec.
We air an episode every fortnight so make sure you subscribe to receive our updates.
Enjoy,
Contain This Team

Previous Episode

Indo-Pacific Health Leaders Series: Dr Brendan Murphy, Secretary of Australia's Department of Health.

Welcome to the second insightful episode of our special Indo-Pacific Health Leaders series, where Ambassador for Regional Health Security, Dr Stephanie Williams, talks to the new Secretary for Australia's Department of Health, Dr. Brendan Murphy. They discuss his leadership and the challenges during the early outbreak of COVID-19 in Australia during his time as Australia’s Chief Medical Officer.

Next Episode

Dr Roopa Dhatt, Women in Global Health

This week Dr Lara Andrews, Acting Director at the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security talks to Dr Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director of Women in Global Health.
Roopa served as the President of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations and is now a practicing primary care physician in Washington D.C.

In this episode, Roopa talks about her identity as an Indian-born American woman shaped her motivation to help found the advocacy group Women in Global Health more than five years ago.

On the 17th of September, Women in Global Health held a virtual summit on the sidelines of the United National General Assembly where countries around the world, including Australia, reaffirmed their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goal number 5 - to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls – and gender responsive leadership during COVID-19 response.

Enjoy this episode with Lara Andrews talking to Roopa Dhatt.

For more information about the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, visit our website https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au
Connect with us on Twitter via @CentreHealthSec.
We air an episode every fortnight so make sure you subscribe to receive our updates.
Enjoy,
Contain This Team