Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani launches upskilling training for healthcare workers

Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani has launched an online COVID-19 Upskilling Course to support Healthcare workers strengthen the management of COVID-19.

The coast economic bloc has partnered with Pwani University and Generations Kenya to train 2000 frontline healthcare workers across the six counties of the coast region in the first phase.

The training will be monitored by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Council (KMPDC).

Speaking during the launch on Thursday at Pwani University, Generations Kenya CEO Ramakrishnan Hariharan said the 8-module online course offers practical based training in the areas of infection prevention and control, all in line with the Ministry of Health and WHO guidelines.

“As COVID-19 spreads, we sought to deploy this skill to help healthcare workers. We have done this in Italy where within three weeks, we formed a coalition and supported medical and academic partners by facilitating the creation of the online learning experience to share their clinical expertise. We have trained more than 170,000 nurses and 14,000 doctors across India, Italy, and Spain,” said Hariharan

Kilifi deputy Governor Gideon Saburi said the training has come at the right time as many healthcare workers contract the virus.

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“Healthcare workers must know how to take care of themselves while discharging their mandates. They are our frontline workers hence we want them to stay safe so that they can take combat the pandemic,” said Saburi.

Kilifi county director of medical services David Mulewa said by Thursday, 45 healthcare workers in Kilifi county had been infected with the virus.

He attributed lack of enough skills in using the PPEs to the rise in the number of healthcare workers contracting the virus.

“The other reason is as healthcare workers sometimes we rush to save lives to the extent of forgetting to take care of ourselves. The PPE can actually put you at risk if you do not know how to use it correctly. This training will help us a great deal,” said Mulewa.

The seven-hour online course is hosted by the Pwani University School of Health Sciences and certified by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Council.

Pwani University dean, School of Health and Human Sciences Dr. Makorani Y’Dhidha-a-Mjidho said the training also targets community health care workers in rural areas.

“The online course, which is free and self-paced, is delivered through demonstrative videos, interviews, and self-guided readings. There is a pre- and post- assessment placed at the start and end of the training, and end of module checks-for-understanding are included to enable learners to check their learning,” Said Mjidho

It targets frontline healthcare workers in clinical, administrative and community settings specifically, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, laboratory technologists, nutritionists, nurses and public health officials.

JKP Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Nzai said they came up with the programme to equip the healthcare workers with information that will increase their safety.

“The national government had only trained five healthcare workers per county that’s why we had to come in and increase the number,” said Nzai

The modules that will be taught are, overview of COVID-19, Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC), Managing COVID-19 Patients (Hospitals, Isolation Centres, Healthcare Facilities), managing COVID-19 Patients (Home and Community), organizational Behaviour, mental Health and Psychosocial Support, laboratory Diagnosis (Sample Management) and integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR):