West Nile frontline health workers trained to fight COVID-19

COVID-19 | TRAINING

In a bid to strengthen the district health capacity in managing COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Health in partnership with Plan International Uganda has started conducting training for frontline health workers.

The training is in the districts of West Nile is aimed at ensuring competence, effectiveness and efficiency in handling cases related to the pandemic.

In the training sessions, the health workers learn about how COVID-19 is caused, effects, how it is spread, prevention and control.

According to Dr George Boka, the District Health Officer for Adjumani said the training is going on well and so far, the first cohort has been pass out hence waiting to apply the knowledge and skills with immediate effect.

"We anticipate that the skills and knowledge imparted in the health care workers will facilitate the prevention and control of COVID-19 in their respective workplaces," said Boka.

He added that the participants will also be equipped with tools for their trade and personal protective gears to ensure that they protect themselves as they endeavour to save the lives of those suspected.

Boka said Adjumani district currently has a total of 600 health care workers working in various facilities.

Hence that the training will, therefore, cascade in a phased way starting with the main hospital-based staff to health centre IVs, IIIs, IIs up to community health workers.

Cissy Kaamu, the national programme manager for health at Plan International Uganda said that they started preparing for COVID-19 response way before Uganda reported its first case.

She explained that Plans response followed the government's call to different stakeholders to facilitate urgent activities, which included community awareness-raising, the orientation of district health workers and support staff on COVID-19.

"Also supporting government with infection prevention and control supplies, supporting district health teams in setting up isolation centres, among others," she said.

According to Kaamu, they have also provided 15 megaphones,  facilitate talk shows on radio stations and the printing of information materials in local languages.

Health teams also receive fuel to facilitate the response.

Around half of the planet's population is under some form of lockdown as governments struggle to halt the spread of a disease that has now infected more than 1,867,126 people while over 115,275 are known to have died, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

According to the ministry of health, as of April 12, Uganda had 54 confirmed case of COVID-19, although a total of four people had recovered. Only 50 cases are active.