Enugu trains PHC workers on COVID-19 response at community level

Enugu State Government says it is fully training and preparing its workers at Primary Health Care (PHC) centres for effective responses to COVID-19 at community and ward levels.

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 Enugu West senatorial districts and council areas on Sunday in Enugu.

Ugwu said the step-down training organised by the ENS-PHCDA, which was a train-the-trainers programme, was meant to equip PHC workers to have more clinical knowledge of the virus and guidelines to respond to it.

According to him, the state government wants all 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 their 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 (schooling) 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/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 room/holding bay.

“As the suspected case relaxes at the isolation room/holding bay; 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.

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Ugwu made it clear that at no time should PHC worker treat a suspected COVID-19 case as stipulated and warned by the National PHCDA and the health ministry.

“I must commend Governor 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 Gov., 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.

Earlier, Chairman of ENS-PHCDA Board, Dr Chijioke Asogwa, charged the PHC workers to engage in massive group and one-on-one COVID-19 enlightenment 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 need for increased personal hygiene, especially hand washing on running water and maintenance of physical distancing always.

“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, said the training had been highly educating for her and had exposed her to the need to ensure physical distancing while she carried out her daily duty at the PHC centre.

“I thank Gov. Ugwuanyi and the ENS-PHCDA boss 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.

Mrs. Ngozi Ochim, Enugu West Disease Surveillance Notification Officer, said the training had been enriching and exposed her to frequently asked questions on COVID-19 and what to do when a suspected case was identified.

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; as well as Guidelines for PHC Workers on COVID-19.

High points of the training were exposure of participants to training on hooking up to virtual (internet) meetings and training sessions as well as distribution of alcoholic-based hand sanitisers, face masks and surgical hand gloves provided by the government.