The International Rescue Committee (IRC) will spend Sh3 million to support the training of 48 health care workers serving at the Sub-County levels as part of covid-19 treatment teams in Turkana West, Central and South sub-counties.
IRC programme Manager Joshua Rutto said the organisation will train the health care workers on Home-Based Care of Covid-19 cases in the next one month.
Rutto said reference for Home Based Care management of Covid -19 patients training will be sourced from a similar training to be rolled out by the National Government between 12th and October 14, 2020 in Nakuru where participants from Lodwar are expected to attend.
“Upon return, IRC will roll out a similar training in the county by including the trained team as Trainers of Trainers for each of the targeted sub counties,” said Rutto.
Rutto further explained that the ToTs will be expected to share their skills to the participants through organised methods such as lecture methods, on job training and supervised practical sessions.
Additionally, IRC Field Manager in Turkana Anthony Wachira reiterated the commitment of IRC in dealing with vulnerable populations usually arising from the impact of disasters, conflict, emergencies and natural occurrences like the covid-9 pandemic currently being experienced across the world and Turkana County.
Wachira explained that the capacity building and PPEs supply support was courtesy of a grant by Novartis alongside other programs such as training of 130 community health volunteers, 272 community health volunteers and community disease reporters across 19 border facilities, public sensitization through community radios across the county from March 2020 to date.
The donation comes at a time when IRC already supported teams from department of health officials in evaluating Covid 19 isolation and quarantine facilities as well as other covid19 response infrastructure across five sub counties.
Speaking to the press during the receipt of PPEs and medical supplies donations from IRC, Deputy governor Peter Lotethiro who was accompanied by CEC for Health and Sanitation Jane Ajele said the training and the PPEs will go a long way in strengthening the capacity of the county to fight the Covid-19 pandemic while at the same time protect health care workers from contracting the virus.
Lotethiro extended gratitude to IRC for the inclusion of training and capacity building components as part of the total package for the identified health care workers throughout the county.
Noting the release of directives and guidelines by the National Government on implementation of Home-Based Care of Covid-19 patients to complement hospital-based care, Lotethiro lauded IRC for standing in the gap through the Directorate of Resource Mobilization and the County Department of Health by ensuring a steady supply of PPEs and support supervision.
“Long before the Covid-19 pandemic, IRC has been a significant partner whose joint effort with the County Government of Turkana has assisted residents in emergency response, sanitation and hygiene activities, nutrition program, cross border disease surveillance and treatment as well as surveillance of polio disease,” Lotethiro said.
By Peter Gitonga
