The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is seeking non-research contract support for efforts in Cambodia aligning with the Global Health Security Agenda.
Large-scale outbreaks of infectious diseases in recent years, including H5N1, H1N1, MERS, and SARS, as well as the 2014-2016 pandemic of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have led to increased attention on global vulnerability to highly pathogenic infectious disease threats. According to Cambodia’s Third Health Strategic Plan (HSP3) 2016-2020, key challenges facing the Cambodian health system include:
- Infectious diseases remain a leading cause of deaths in Cambodia. According to the MOH-National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-NCDs 2013-2020, communicable diseases combined with maternal, perinatal and nutritional deaths account for 47% of all deaths in the country
- Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases resulting from environmental health risks and climate change remain a global health threats and require a multi-sectoral response in an effective manner.
- Inadequate quality of health services in both public and private health sectors. Effective delivery of quality health services is constrained by a poorly trained health workforce, limited diagnostic capacity, and insufficient supply of medicines and health commodities.
- Limited capacity of public health services to detect and respond to outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases as well as other public health emergencies.
Cambodia’s GHSA roadmap in June 2016 committed to a focus on 11 “action packages of GHSA” that will contribute to the prevention, detection, and response to emerging pandemic threats. Thus, the purpose of this NOFO is to support Cambodia’s efforts within these GHSA action packages and toward achievement of their IHR (2005) goals.
This project supports the following Healthy People 2030 goal and objectives:
- Increase the number of public health events of international importance that are monitored and reported
- Increase the number of individuals trained globally to prevent, detect, or respond to public health threats
- Increase the laboratory diagnostic testing capacity, surveillance system, and routine reporting in countries and regionally
This effort aims to support Cambodia to achieve International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 commitments, thereby strengthening health security in the country, the region, and the world Improve the quality of surveillance, laboratory, and emergency response systems managed by the Cambodian Ministry of Health, thereby improving the health and safety of the Cambodian people. These interventions are essential for Cambodia to reach and sustain its goal of reaching its IHR 2005 core capacity. NIPH and MOH-CDC capacity is critical to the achievement of key components of the IHRs. Key outcomes of this NOFO include the National Institute of Public Health Laboratory (NIPHL) achieving and maintaining ISO accreditation, expanding its support to provincial laboratories to improve the quality of laboratory systems, and use of results to improve programming, development, and strengthening of an anti-microbial resistance (AMR) surveillance system and infectious disease outbreak response.
A long-standing collaboration between CDC and the NIPH has achieved the following: · Strengthened national public health laboratory systems including achievement of ISO 15189 accreditation for the national public health reference lab. Improved quality of labs across the country through a Laboratory Quality Management System (LQMS) program.
- Bolstered capacity of the public health workforce through management and leadership training
- Established nationwide systems for influenza and AMR surveillance
This NOFO will build upon these achievements to further strengthen national laboratory, surveillance, and emergency response systems while also building health workforce capacity.
Recipients are required to work with other CDC implementing partners, including nongovernmental organizations, universities, Ministry of Health and other host governmental bodies and multi-lateral organizations that receive CDC funds. The recipient should ensure their proposed activities are not duplicating activities already implemented by other CDC-funded organizations.
Additional details are available via Funding Opportunity Number: CDC-RFA-GH20-2089. Applications are due 1 July 2020 no later than 11:59 ET.