Government hospitals’ personnel to be trained for COVID-19 handling

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The medicine experts and intensive care lead physicians from a private medical university will provide free of cost training and telephonic consultations to doctors and paramedical staff handling COVID-19 cases in the government hospitals from April 20.

To this effect, senior representatives of the Sindh Health department and the Aga Khan University signed two memorandums of understanding in the presence of Sindh Health Minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, at the Sindh Secretariat on April 17. 

The two parties agreed to collaborate for improvement of COVID-19 critical care delivery in the public sector hospitals.

“Besides capacity building, government healthcare professionals will avail the University’s tele-consultation services on critical cares issues like ventilator management of coronavirus patients,” a government official stated. 

The Secretary Health to the Government of Sindh, Zahid Abbasi, AKU Medical College Dean, Dr Adil Haider, and AKUH’s interim chief executive officer, Shagufta Hassan, Chief Technical Advisor to Health Secretary, Dr Aijaz Khanzada, among others, attended the MoU signing event. 

Dr Azra Pechuho disclosed that the health department had signed the MoUs with the AKU as its doctors and nurses have handled the maximum number of COVID-19 patients and now were in a position to mentor the public sector health providers. 

“The AKU side will start training our doctors concerned from April 20 who, later as trainers, will impart training to other doctors and related staffs in district health settings,” the provincial health minister observed. 

She further said that if the government doctors and paramedics find any difficulty while working in the COVID-19 intensive care facilities they could take online advices from AKU experts. 

The AKU CEO, Shagufta Hassan, revealed that the Sindh government had asked the AKU to provide technical assistance to the COVID-19 ICU units at its 12 hospitals. 

“Our lead physicians in critical care issues and relevant experts will provide a free-of-cost training to government doctors and paramedics,” she added. The AKU Dean, Dr Adil Haider, said that the doctors at government hospitals may also avail teleconsultation for critically ill COVID-19 patients. 

“The AKU experts will help manage care with doctors in Sindh as well as offer advanced training for nurses on treatment of critically ill patients and safety of healthcare workers,” the government handout said.