By Yang Ater Yang
At least 1,700 community health workers have graduated with first aid and home nursing skills in Rumbek, Lakes State.
The graduates were trained for three months by the African Training Center (ATC) in collaboration with the state and national ministries of health.
Trainings were conducted in most of the churches and schools.
The first batch graduation ceremony took place in Rumbek Freedom Square on Wednesday.
Priscilla Ayen Kaman is one of the beneficiaries of the training course.
She said they have learned how to take care of and treat a person who has injuries by giving first aid.
“The benefit we get is that we have learned how to treat and manage people who sustained injuries with our first aid. We are taught about procedures on how to provide a person with first aid,” she said.
Ayen believes that after this graduation, they will go to clinics and hospitals to help people in the community.
Samuel Mawut Maluaal, another beneficiary from Mozzalari Memorial School, appreciated Africa Training Center (ATC) for the opportunity they have given him.
“This is a great opportunity we have been waiting for until we are graduating today. We are ready to serve our community in any circumstances, and we shall be serving the community voluntarily,” he said.
For her part, Flora Akol said that the training mainly focused on how to provide first aid and home nursing.
“We need to first tackle home nursing as far as women are concerned, and this training has opened our eyes, and we thank Africa Training Centre (ATC) for giving us training on first aid and home nursing. For example, at home, we can give first aid to our kids whenever they get injuries,” she said.
Flora said that after the end of this training, she expects to work in the health sector to help the community if the government can employ them in any area of the State.
“Women are the majority that constituted 120 participants in our group, and men are only 5 participants in the training, and the important part is that women are the target, and everything starts with us (women) because we are the ones that take care of kids and other things in the community,” she said.
The manager of the Africa Training Centre (ATC), Doctor Oliver IlarioVaitale, said they have graduated over 1,700 first aid and home nursing community health workers in Lakes State.
“We have graduated today 1,700 community health workers on first aid and home nursing only in Rumbek, and 200 health workers also graduated from Yirol, and others will graduate in Wulu,” he said.
He said the community health workers were trained for duration of 3 months on theory and practice in different sectors, starting with first aid, public and primary health care, and home nursing.
“Africa Ttraining Center (ATC) is based in South Africa and has a branch in Juba, South Sudan. We started our project in 2012 before the crisis, and in 2014 we resumed the training in the health sector,” Ilario explained.
He added that they have covered Western Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, and now have shifted to Lakes State.
After the training, Ilario said they will also embark on public awareness campaigns on disease prevention and how those trained can help offer first aid to save lives.
The acting director general in the state ministry of health in Lakes State, Doctor Barnaba Bol Amukpiu, described the training as a milestone achievement in community health.
“We are celebrating their graduation because we in Lakes State are happy and thankful to the Africa Training Centre who came down to us and asked the Ministry of Health that they are going to train youth, ladies, and students in churches and school premises on first aid,” he said.
Dr. Barnaba commended the churches and schools for providing the learning space on their premises.
He said that in Rumbek State Hospital, they are facing a lack of medical personnel—doctors, nurses, even cleaners.
“The number of medical personnel that are treating people to prevent diseases is inadequate in Rumbek State Hospital, and this makes this training very important because it will increase the capacity to treat diseases,” the health director lamented.