Capacity building training for health workers on COVID-19 Case Management and emergency response. This photo was taken in one of the training that took place from 4 to 8 August 2020 in Bentiu, Unity State - Credit | WHO

The Ministry of Health has trained more than 350 health care workers in the 10 states and four prioritized COVID-19 locations for the past weeks to establish optimal capacities for effective COVID-19 patients care.

According to a statement seen by Eye Radio, the training aims to build the capacity of health workers for COVID-19 Case Management and emergency response in the context of COVID-19.

It said the training also enhances understanding of the heightened risks and provides adequate knowledge and skills on infection prevention and control.

According to the WHO, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed new challenges to already strained health systems in South Sudan.

The governments have started prevention, containment, and mitigation measures for effective supportive treatment of COVID-19 cases.

“Case managers are the primary point of contact on a health care team and assist patients and their families with coordinating services and resources to address their immediate and transitional needs”, said Dr. Richard Laku, Incident Manager at the Ministry of Health.

“Case managers, help ensure that patients are engaged and actively participating in the plan for discharge from the hospital.”

The health workers were trained on COVID-19 clinical care for asymptomatic to critical cases, infection prevention and control, surveillance and contact tracing, mental health and psychosocial support, laboratory and nutrition in the context of COVID-19.

“The provision of specialized care is a critical component of COVID-19 response activities,” said Dr. Olushayo Olu, WHO Representative for South Sudan.

“Thanks to the generous contribution of the African Development Bank, we are able to conduct comprehensive training for the various cadre of health care workers across the country who will then provide care for patients in the country.”

With funding from the African Development Bank, WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health to strengthen the health system to respond to COVID-19 emergency and improve case management measures related to COVID-19 and ensuring uninterrupted access to other essential services.

South Sudan confirmed its first COVID-19 case on 5 April 2020 and has since recorded 2,490 cases and 47 deaths due to COVID-19.

A total of 139 COVID-19 cases have been managed in designated COVID-19 isolation facilities while 1,164 have been managed under the home-based isolation.