COVID-19: Kasese trains emergency response team

HEALTH|COVID-19|EMERGENCY 

KAMPALA - Following the rise in COVID-19 cases in Kasese, two non government organisations have trained an emergency medical team to beef up the district pandemic response team.

The district health Officer, Dr Yusufu Baseka, said Kasese, which borders the DR Congo, has registered 40 cases, 15 from the community, while the others are from truck drivers.

Dr Baseka says the latest 10 cases were traced from Kambukamabwe in Mpondwe-Lhubiriha town council and Kayanja fishing village on the shores of Lake Edward.

Training

The emergency team was trained on Thursday at Rwenzori International Hotel by the Association of Ambulance Professionals of Uganda (AAPU) in partnership with Malteser International, a German-based humanitarian organisation.

Trainees included ambulance drivers and medical workers from public and private health facilities.

These were also given personal protective equipment (PPEs) to guard themselves against the deadly virus during the course of their work.

The PPEs included face masks, gumboots, surgical gloves, hooded coveralls, goggles, reflections and sanitisers.

AAPU president Tom Kyobe said the training targeted health workers who provide pre-hospital emergency care to patients.

"We came to empower those who work outside hospitals, such as ambulance drivers, on how to safely deal with COVID-19 patients," Kyobe said.

Transmission points

Dr Rose Muhindo, a physician at Mbarara Hospital, who also heads the hospital's task force, said ambulances can be transmission points for the virus if their operators are not careful.

"We know that you transport different patients, including bleeding mothers, accident victims or mothers with obstructed labour, so it is important to ensure safety for self and patient," she said.

She urged Kasese to closely supervise the operations and staff of lower-level health facilities to guard against transmission of the virus during referrals.

One of the trainees, Dr Teddy Achola of Kagando Hospital in Ibanda, said she was going to share her skills with others at her work station.

Get masks
Lt. Joe Walusimbi,the Resident District Commissioner, who also chairs the district COVID-19 task force, said Kasese had by Friday flagged off the distribution of 672,070 masks to Hima and Kasese municipality residents.