The Ministry of Health is training around 300 volunteers as Basic Frontline Responders for COVID-19 as part of the preparedness plan for the worst-case scenario of COVID-19 in the country. So far the Ministry trained over 200 volunteers in Monggar and Thimphu.
The 7th batch completed the weeklong Frontline Responders training in Monggar, yesterday. In the current batch, 24 civil servants from six eastern Dzongkhag participated in the programme. Currently the country is in the orange stage in terms of coronavirus pandemic classification. However, should it enter the red zone, those volunteers who underwent such training will be deployed in the isolation centres to assist the health workers.
Tashi Duba, a Senior Program Officer with the Ministry of Health says the training is conducted based on the command of His Majesty The King, Prime Minister and Health Minister to prepare for the worse case scenarios. “We are aiming to train the volunteers. The main objective is to build competencies of the volunteers because they come from various backgrounds without any basic health care management knowledge for COVID-19,” he said.
Unlike other training programs, participants undergoing the basic training as frontline responders are seen doing an online test to assess what they have learnt during the training.
“Although we are doing a daily assessment to monitor their knowledge, both practical as well as theoretical knowledge, at the end of the training program on the 6th day, we are doing an assessment of overall knowledge they have gained so far over the past six days of the training program. We want to see their competency, especially theoretical competency. And they have to get a minimum of 50 per cent to obtain a certificate of completion,” he added.
During the weeklong training program, participants got acquainted with the basics of COVID-19, learnt to identify the appropriate use of personal protective equipment and also the basic roles and responsibilities of frontline responders.
Tenzin Dorji, a participant says he got inspired to volunteer for the programme after seeing His Majesty The King inspecting the borders day and night. “So, we are concerned about His Majesty’s noble initiative and thought that this is the right time to serve our nation. There are also limited nurses in hospitals. So in case, there is widespread of coronavirus in the country, we would like to assist our nurses in the worst-case situation,” he said.
“Firstly due to the farsighted vision of our monarchs, there was no case of local transmission of coronavirus in the country. Moreover, we think that the situation won’t turn to worse henceforth. But we are fully prepared to assist our health workers during hard times should the situation turn worse in the country. We are ever ready to serve the nation,” added Tashi Bumgay, another participant.
Similar training programmes have also started from today in Monggar, Gelephug and Phuentshogling for the next batch.
Sonam Tshering
