By Stanley Nwanosike
Enugu State Government says it is training Primary Health Care (PHC) workers to enhance response to COVID-19 at the grass roots.
Dr George Ugwu, Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA) said this in an address during a step-down training for PHC workers in Enugu East and West senatorial districts on Sunday in Enugu.
Ugwu said the step-down training organised by the ENS-PHCDA, was designed to exposed PHC workers to more clinical knowledge of the virus and guidelines to respond to it.
According to him, the state government wants PHC workers, who are frontline health workers at the community level, to easily define symptoms and guidelines to respond to the virus, while attending to patients.
“The disease has reached the level of community transmission, hence, there is a great need for PHC workers to go all out and act in terms of temporary isolation, contact tracing, case definition and self-protection of themselves as well as enlightenment of community dwellers on the virus.
“This is why the state government through the agency is investing in ongoing in depth training of PHC workers at every level and position in order for them to be well equipped and prepared to play their part to arrest COVID-19 on time.
“The training will focus on COVID-19 case definition and symptoms in order for the PHC workers to have very clinically enlightened level of suspicion when a suspected case manifests; and quick isolation of such case in a temporary isolation facility.
“As the suspected case relaxes at the isolation room; the PHC worker makes quick referral by contacting disease surveillance officers or the state COVID-19 team that will pick-up the suspected case,’’ he said.
Ugwu tasked medical personnel to adhere to the guidelines by the National Primary Healthcare Agency (NPHCDA) and health authorities on the treatment of a suspected COVID-19 case.
“I must commend Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his commitment to see that the state gets rid of COVID-19; supporting training and re-training of PHC workers as well as seeing that PHC centres continue to function effectively in this lockdown.
“The deputy governor, Cecilia Ezeilo has been working relentlessly to support the governor in supervising enforcement of closure of boundary areas and facilitating programmes meant to reposition PHC centres for effective service delivery,’’ he said.
Also, Chairman of the ENS-PHCDA Board, Dr Chijioke Asogwa, charged the workers to engage in comprehensive COVID-19 sensitisation with community leaders, to ensure wide knowledge about the virus and roles expected of everyone.
Asogwa said that rural dwellers should know that wearing of face masks in public had been made mandatory and stressed the need for increased personal hygiene, hand washing on running water and maintenance of physical distancing.
“Everybody must take precaution and ensure that people around them must do the right thing and ensure regular wearing of face masks and step up personal and family hygiene levels,’’ he said.
One of the participants, Mrs Stella Ani, described the training as highly educating for her and exposed her to the need to ensure physical distancing while discharging her routine assignment.
“I commend Gov. Ugwuanyi and the ENS-PHCDA for the training as well as ensuring that PHC centres take care of health needs of residents at the rural areas,’’ Ani, a Local Immunisation Officer in Nkanu West LGA of the state, said.
Another participant, Mrs Ngozi Ochim, a Disease Surveillance Notification Officer, Enugu West LGA, said the training had been enriching and exposed her to frequently asked questions on COVID-19 and what to do when a suspected case identified.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training featured presentation on thematic areas, which included: Addressing Rumours on COVID-19; Key Messages and Frequently Asked Questions for PHC Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic, and Guidelines for PHC Workers on COVID-19.
High points of the training were exposure of participants to training on hooking up to virtual meetings and training sessions as well as distribution of alcoholic-based hand sanitiser, face masks and surgical hand gloves provided by the government.
Credit: NAN