Immunisation health workforce capacity building in Southeast Asia: reflections from training programme implementation in Cambodia and Lao PDR

Gemma Saravanos^{1

2}, Alvin Kuo Jing Teo^{1

3

4}, Esabelle Lo Yan Yam^{4

5}, Sok Chamreun Chou⁶, Niramonh Chanlivong^{1

3}, Phorng Chanthorn⁶, Chhit Thy⁶, Souphon Sayavong⁷, Julie Leask^{1

3}, Siyan Yi^{4

6}, Margie Danchin⁸, Chris Morgan^{9

10

11}, Kylie Jenkins^{3

7}, Martyn Kirk⁷, Kristine Macartney¹², Ben Coghlan¹³, Michelle Apostol¹³, Dinesh Arora¹³, Darren Gray⁷, Tracy Smart¹⁴, Meru Sheel^{15

3

7}

Affiliations

¹ Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³ Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
⁵ College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
⁶ KHANA Center for Population Health Research, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
⁷ National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
⁸ Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁹ Jhpiego, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
¹⁰ Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹¹ Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹² National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
¹³ Human and Social Development, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong City, Philippines.
¹⁴ School of Medicine and Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
¹⁵ Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia meru.sheel@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 39971585
PMCID: PMC11840919
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018007

Immunisation health workforce capacity building in Southeast Asia: reflections from training programme implementation in Cambodia and Lao PDR

Gemma Saravanos et al. BMJ Glob Health. 2025.

. 2025 Feb 19;10(2):e018007.

doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018007.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³ Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
⁵ College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
⁶ KHANA Center for Population Health Research, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
⁷ National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
⁸ Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁹ Jhpiego, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
¹⁰ Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹¹ Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹² National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
¹³ Human and Social Development, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong City, Philippines.
¹⁴ School of Medicine and Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
¹⁵ Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia meru.sheel@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 39971585
PMCID: PMC11840919
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018007

Abstract

The Immunization Agenda 2030 emphasises the need for a motivated, skilled and knowledgeable workforce equipped to plan, manage, implement and monitor immunisation programmes at all levels. The rapid introduction of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic highlighted the adaptability of the health workforce but also exposed gaps in professional development and learning.This practice paper describes the implementation of an immunisation training programme in the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The programme was developed and delivered by the project team in partnership with local stakeholders and technical experts. A country-centric approach ensured that training programmes met each country's needs, while input from technical experts ensured an evidence-based programme that aligned with international standards. There were 445 training participants from professional groups across various levels and sectors of the health system. Training curricula included a range of differentiated training modules which aimed to build knowledge and skills to drive increased vaccine demand, improve service delivery and optimise monitoring and evaluation of programmes.The Gavi Learning and Performance Management framework supported a structured reflection of programme strengths, limitations and opportunities. Strengths were the country-centric and learner-centric approach and the high technical quality of the programme. The pandemic context necessitated agility and adaptation to meet changing country needs and priorities, however, this introduced some limitations. Future training programmes should undertake an enhanced assessment of training needs, workforce and digital capabilities and learning and performance management systems, alongside the development of country-driven immunisation workforce training roadmaps to ensure optimal impact and sustainability.

Keywords: Global Health; Immunisation; Public Health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

**Figure 1. Post-training programme evaluation results. Lao PDR, Lao People’s Democratic Republic.**

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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Immunisation health workforce capacity building in Southeast Asia: reflections from training programme implementation in Cambodia and Lao PDR

Affiliations

Immunisation health workforce capacity building in Southeast Asia: reflections from training programme implementation in Cambodia and Lao PDR

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Miscellaneous