Upskilling critical care during COVID-19
In southern Nepal, healthworkers involved in treating severe COVID-19 strengthen their skills through a training on essential critical care conducted with UNICEF support
Dhanusha, Nepal: To better aid and equip healthworkers in their efforts to combat COVID-19 on the frontlines, a training on essential critical care was recently held in Janakpur in Dhanusha District.
Conducted with UNICEF support in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Population’s National Health Training Centre and the Simulation Society of Nepal, the training brought in healthworkers directly involved in treating severe COVID-19 patients from seven hospitals across Province 2.
Trainers worked to impart to participants a range of life-saving knowledge and skills in key areas in the management of COVID-19 within healthcare facilities, including treatment of severe cases, use of oxygen equipment and infection prevention.
“We wanted to ensure that these healthcare facilities have in place skilled human resources capable of handling severe cases,” says Dr. Sanjay Yadav from the Janakpur Provincial Hospital, one of the trainers.
According to Dr. Yadav, these skills are crucial given the challenges faced by healthcare providers in coping with the surge of COVID-19 patients during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic in the country just a few months ago. “Not only will they help prepare for future surges, but these skills will be useful even beyond the pandemic.
Participating healthworkers said the training had instilled in them a sense of confidence in their understanding and abilities related to critical care going forward.
“I’ve learned so many things here,” says Madhu Paswan, staff nurse at Lahan Hospital in Siraha District. “I feel that I will be able to take better care of critically-ill patients.”
