Workshop on evidence-based policies begins
MUSCAT: The evidence-based policy making abstract drafting workshop, organised by Ministry of Health (MoH), and represented by the Center of Studies and Research of the Directorate-General of Planning and Studies (DGP&S), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) started on Monday at Al Seeb Specialised Polyclinic.
The workshop will be held for three days with the objective of establishing a central team from the MoH to raise awareness on the significance of setting up the evidence-based policies and ways of issuing health polices summaries.
More than 30 participants from different MoH health programmes in addition to participants from the Ministry of Regional Municipalities & Water Resources and Ministry of Commerce & Industry took part in the workshop where a WHO expert is leading the training with the assistance of local experts.
The three-day workshop aims at training the team on how to prepare and write abstracts of evidence-based policies for decision makers within the MoH institutions as well as building their capacities.
The participants will be introduced to the various knowledge resources and means and the mechanisms employed to support policies summaries.
The workshop is meant to prepare abstracts for policy on a certain health priority issue in the Sultanate to be presented on the decision makers. Obesity has been selected to be highlighted in the training since there is a pressing need for establishing a comprehensive strategy on obesity management.
It should be noted that the training programme is divided into two phases.
The first phase is three consecutive days of theoretical lectures and group discussions whereby the members of the main team is divided into two teams.
The first sub-team works on a comprehensive obesity management programme handling the preventive and promoting aspects whereas the second sub-team handles the therapeutic aspect of the issue.
The second phase is a four-week of preparing two abstracts for the obesity policy.
A team from the Center of Studies and Research will meet the main team once a week to follow up their progress.