Health workers receive training to deal with COVID-19 cases requiring critical care

Kathmandu - Training has begun for medical and health workers serving with all 11 district hospitals in Gandaki State so as to enhance their capacity to deliver Intensive Care Unit ( ICU) treatment to COVID-19 patient in complicated situation. A total of 66 doctors and medical workers including from Lekhanath Lions Hospital and Matrisishu Memorial Hospital are attending the training held at Pokhara-based Manipal Hospital. The training is organised by the State Ministry of Social Development and the State Health Directorate.

According to State Health Director Dr Binod Bindu Sharma, the training aims at preparing workforce to deal with potential critical cases of COVID-19 in the future. He said trainees were divided into several groups and are being trained on the ICU care procedures. Social distancing was maintained during the session. As said by Sharma, district-based hospitals are readied for the treatment of COVID-19 cases in the district.

In case of patient(s) requiring ICU treatment, there will a medical specialist for facilitation. ''If the case is not serious, it can be easily managed. But if it needs critical care unit treatment, additional preparation is essential and the training is for managing such case by the hospital team itself,'' he said. The session kicked off Sunday and it is being attended by two medical officers, two nurses and one paramedic from each district.

The Gandaki State government has already decided to set up ICU rooms in all district hospitals and has allocated budget to establish 40 ICUs there. Manang and Mustang districts will have two units while remaining districts will have four units each. Meanwhile, as many as 2,045 COVID-19 suspects have undergone PCR test in Gandaki State. Among them, the test results of 2,011 persons have come negative; reports of 29 persons are awaited and two had detected with corona infection but have returned home after recovery, shared Gandaki State Health Director Dr Binod Bindu Sharma.