July 17, 2025
A two-day capacity building workshop focused on sepsis took place from July 16 to 17, 2025, at the Dire International Hotel. Organized by Arsi University’s College of Health Sciences under the STAIRS project, the workshop brought together diverse stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Oromia Regional Health Bureau, academic and research staff from Arsi University, Abbaa Gadaas, and project partners from Uganda and Germany.
The workshop commenced with a warm welcome from Dr. Gadisa Dejene, Chief Executive Director of the College of Health Sciences at Arsi University, who expressed appreciation for the project team’s efforts to highlight sepsis issues. The opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Hailu Fikadu, Vice President of Research and Technology Transfer, who emphasized the critical need for collaboration and coordination in addressing sepsis as a global health concern. He urged all participants to actively contribute to sepsis prevention and management strategies.
Dr. Tafese Beyene, Director of the Herich Institute of Tropical Medicine (HITM) at Arsi University, and the PI of the project provided an overview of the STAIRS project, pointing out significant imformation gaps about sepsis in sub saharan Africa.
The workshop featured presentations from experts, including Mr. Aziz Agaba and Ms. Sylveria Alwoch from the Uganda National Health Consumers’ Organization (UNHCO). They highlighted the community’s right to access health information and the essential roles of various stakeholders in combatting sepsis. The discussion underscored the importance of advocacy and media involvement in public education on prevention strategies, particularly focusing on the “three Ps”: patients, providers, and policymakers.
The session concluded with an engaging question-and-answer segment, allowing attendees to seek clarification on the topics discussed. Participants also took part in group activities designed to assess community and healthcare professionals’ performance related to sepsis
