Special Assistant to PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza Inaugurated 'We Care', the national training program for Doctors, nurses, paramedics and support staff on PPE here in PIMS on Friday.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr Mirza said that a special online training course for health care workers is designed to explain the standard usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) while keeping in mind the limitations of working during Covid-19 pandemic.
This course aims to engage more than a 100,000 doctors, nurses, paramedics and support staff from all over Pakistan, he added. The training course is designed to make participants aware of the role of PPE in protecting oneself in a contagious environment and their personal responsibility to wear the proper PPE according to the risk in the environment they are working in.
Dr Zafar told that the standardized national curriculum for this training has been developed and top medical universities all across Pakistan (one in each province) is selected to deliver the training to their respective areas. A special documentary on proper usage of PPE was also played during the inaugural session.
Steady and adequate direct supplies of the PPEs is part of the campaign which is being handled by NDMA, he informed. We Care Campaign was presented to all the Provincial/Area health ministers and agreed with them. The campaign will complement the ongoing efforts by the Provinces and development partners for the same purpose, added Dr. Mirza.
Participants were briefed that the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination (MoNHSRC) has launched “We CARE”, a national campaign for protecting and supporting our frontline health workers in the context of Covid-19. ‘We ca?e’ aims at providing adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to the health workers, orienting them on using various PPE items as per international standards, and creating an overall psycho-social environment of care and support, he added. The national ministry is being assisted by the WHO, UNICEF and ICRC ISPR as partners in this campaign.
‘We care’ also aims to sensitize the public, including patients and visitors at healthcare facilities, to supports frontline healthcare workers by following preventive behaviors to not only reduce the risk of infection to themselves but also reduce the work burden on and health risks for the health providers. WHO Representative Pakistan Dr Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala, VC- SZABMU Prof Dr Tanwir Khaliq, VC health services Prof Dr Assad Hafeez, VC - KMU Peshawar Prof Dr Arshad Javaid, VC FJMU Prof Aamir Zaman Khan, Director IPH, Quetta Prof Dr AQ Sikander Riaz, Dean AKU Prof Dr Adil Haider and experts from the fraternity were also present on the occasion.
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