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World Health Organization's (WHO) Site Visit to Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt for Eastern Mediterranean (EM) Regional COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Study - August 2023
16 August 2023 – A WHO delegation conducted a two-day site visit to Al-Azhar University and affiliated hospitals in Egypt as part of the Regional COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Study. The visit aimed to gather firsthand insights from the university's research team and provide feedback. The WHO delegation engaged with various stakeholders including university officials, hospital CEOs, and research teams, aiming to strengthen collaborative efforts for evidence-based policy-making.
A delegation representing the WHO's Regional COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Technical Team conducted a two-day site visit to Al-Azhar University on 16-17 August 2023.
This study from Egypt stands as one of four national studies contributing to the Regional COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Research Initiative. This collective effort that has been organized and supported by the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO), was launched in September 2021 and is projected to conclude by September 2023. Iran, Jordan, and Pakistan are other countries participating in this Regional Study. The primary objectives of this multinational study include capacity building in the Region for conducting similar studies, while ensuring data reliability and quality through using standardized WHO approved protocols.
The WHO's site visit had the primary purpose of enabling its technical team to gain firsthand insights from the university's research team, while also affording an opportunity for the WHO to provide feedback and recommendations. The WHO delegation comprised of experts from the Divisions of Science, Information and Dissemination (SID), and Communicable Diseases (DCD) at EMRO, as well as the Country Office (CO) in Egypt.
On the first day of the visit, 16 August 2023, the WHO met Dr. Salama Dawoud, the President of Al-Azhar University, and the Vice-President of Postgraduate Studies and Research. The university leadership underscored their strong commitment to collaborative research with the WHO, aimed at generating and use of evidence to inform policy-making on both national and regional levels. In parallel, the WHO EMRO highlighted the importance of strengthening the capacity of Member States to conduct similar studies, given their complexity in design and implementation, limited access to pertinent COVID-19 vaccine data in the region, and the use of locally manufactured and approved vaccine products unique to certain Eastern Mediterranean countries. The WHO Country Office for Egypt also emphasized its support for research and development (R&D) in Egypt, especially implementation research contributing towards evidence-informed decision making.
Subsequently, the Deans of the Faculties of Medicine, the Principal Investigator, and the research teams of the five affiliated university hospitals presented their study progress and findings. The initial day's discussions culminated in a visit to the Virology Unit in the Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department at Al-Azhar Faculty of Medicine for Girls, where the molecular testing is carried out and part of the samples are preserved. In addition, the WHO conducted a swift document review of participant records and consent forms.
The second day of the visit, 17 August 2023, focused on visits to two university hospitals partaking in Egypt’s COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness study: Al-Zahraa Hospital and Al-Hussein Hospital in Cairo. These visits encompassed various interactions including meetings with hospital CEOs, updates from research managers, meeting with the Infection prevention and control teams, as well as the laboratory teams, and finally tours of the hospital laboratories. These laboratories are instrumental in conducting serology testing and preserving samples for the relevant study tests. Additionally, there was an update on the progress of data entry provided by the data management focal point at the National Research Center, which is a partner in the study.
Technical workshop on Egypt’s national programme for guideline development and adaptation
14 August 2023 – After a series of preparatory meetings, a technical workshop on Egypt’s national programme for guideline development and adaptation in Egypt was held on 30 January–2 February 2023 in Cairo, hosted by the WHO Country Office in Egypt, in close collaboration with the evidence and data to policy programme of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean’s Department of Science, Information and Dissemination.
The workshop was held under the patronage of, and was attended by, His Excellency, the Minister of Health and Population of Egypt Professor Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, along with representatives from various governmental organizations and academic institutions. Participants included senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Population and its affiliated bodies, especially the General Organization for Teaching Hospitals and Institutes (GOTHI), which has been assigned the role of establishing a national guidelines programme by the Ministry of Health and Population, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Egypt’s Healthcare Authority, Egyptian Health Council, Ministry of Defense, universities and academic institutions, and medical specialty societies for various medical specialties such as cardiology, neurology, paediatrics and neonatology among others.
Dr Mohamed Fawzy Al Soda (President of GOTHI), Dr Naeema Al-Gasseer (WHO Representative in Egypt), Dr Arash Rashidian (Director of the Department of Science, Information, and Dissemination, WHO Regional Office), Dr Paul Garner (Emeritus Professor, Evidence Synthesis in Global Health, at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine), Dr Nathan Ford (Chair of WHO’s Guidelines Review Committee), Dr Edith Patouillard, (Senior Health Economist, Economic Evaluation and Analysis programme, Department of Health Systems Governance and Financing, WHO headquarters), Dr Mehrnaz Kheirandish (Regional Advisor, evidence and data to policy programme, WHO Regional Office), Dr Gasser Gad El-Kareem (Technical Officer, WHO country office), and Dr Riham El-Asady (Consultant, WHO country office) were some of the key experts in attendance at this high-level workshop.
The workshop aimed to enhance technical capacity for the development and adaptation of guidelines, and to conduct a training of trainers workshop for development and adaptation of guidelines. During the 4-day event, participants discussed and reviewed the development and adaptation processes of clinical practice and public health guidelines, including best practices, methods and tools.
H.E. Dr Abdel Ghaffar emphasized the importance of the national programme for guideline development and adaptation in improving the quality of health care services and ensuring that clinical and public health guidelines are based on the latest scientific evidence. He highlighted the need for effective collaboration and coordination among stakeholders to achieve the objectives of the programme.
Five technical sessions and 6 group exercises were held at the workshop, including both theoretical and practical sessions on the development and adaptation of evidence-based clinical practice and public health guidelines.
The technical workshop provided a platform to develop strategies for implementation of the national programme for guideline development and adaptation in an effective manner; and agree on the main action points for establishing the programme in Egypt. The launch of the national programme is an important step towards achieving better health outcomes for the population of Egypt.
Seminar on the development of case studies for evidence-informed policy-making
14 August 2023 – A seminar on “Case studies on evidence-informed policy-making: experiences and success stories during the COVID-19 pandemic” was organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean on 26–27 October to present and discuss a series of case studies developed by countries of the Region on the use of evidence and data to inform policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The seminar presented 5 technical sessions on different aspects of evidence-informed policy-making. Participants included policy-makers, Network for Evidence to Data Policy (NEDtP) member institutions, academics from NEDtP-supporting institutions, WHO representatives, WHO staff, and key multi-country organizations in the Region.
WHO was mandated to develop these case studies to strengthen evidence-informed policy-making in countries through producing high-quality knowledge products and conducting capacity-building activities. Thirteen countries developed 15 case studies, in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office and authors, including university professors, staff from national institutes of health, ministries of health, members of the NEDtP and WHO colleagues.
The seminar presented participants with an opportunity to share their experiences, discuss lessons learnt and examine challenges and barriers for evidence-informed policy-making and build the capacity of NEDtP members in developing policy case studies.
In their opening remarks, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director, and Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director of Programme Management, noted how COVID-19 had highlighted the importance of data informing evidence-based policy-making and the need for its institutionalization.
Technical sessions focused on different types of data and evidence, the use of routine data and health information systems, use of surveys, development and adaptation of guidelines, and the knowledge translation processes. One session covered WHO initiatives to institutionalize evidence-informed policy-making in the Region and an interactive session piloted a draft tool, developed by the Department of Science, Information and Dissemination, to support countries in identifying national priority activities to institutionalize evidence-based policy-making.
In his closing remarks, Dr Arash Rashidian, Director of the Department of Science, information and Dissemination, provided an analysis of the lessons learnt and key observations of the case studies that had presented a wide collection of diverse settings, structures and country scenarios. These experiences provided valuable insight into the key elements that had contributed to successful outcomes and what had been the main limitations, thus allowing a greater understanding of the way forward and next steps. The remarks also highlighted how development of such case studies represented an early success of the NEDtP member institutions, whose objectives sought to share insights and experiences in support of evidence-informed policy-making and producing high-quality knowledge products.
Related link
Summary report on the seminar on case studies on evidence-informed policy-making: experiences and success stories during the COVID-19 pandemic
Cairo, Egypt 26-27 October 2022
