Post by Robert Koch Institute

Malteser International and RKI experts jointly train healthcare workers in Sudan After more than 3 years of war, Sudan’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse. Healthcare workers (HCW) from different parts of the country have come to live and work in Port Sudan, the only city currently considered relatively safe in Sudan, but facing serious constraints which also affect the city’s hospitals. To facilitate a training for HCW in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), an IPC expert from RKI’s EMT National Focal Point Team joined Malteser International’s recent EMT - Emergency Medical Teams deployment to Port Sudan. From 2 to 4 June, the 8-person team conducted a training organized in close coordination and collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Sudanese Ministry of Health (MoH), financed by Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V. 👩‍🔬🧑‍🔬 35 nurses and doctors were trained in practical measures to prevent the transmission of pathogens, based on the layout and available resources of the participants’ respective hospitals: how to screen for and deal with infectious diseases, adapt patient- and staff-flow in the event of an outbreak, use of personal protective equipment, and hand hygiene. Additional key foci were chlorination of water for hand hygiene and disinfection, and waste management. The workshop concluded with a training session for cleaning staff and a strategic discussion with the Ministry of Health on the implementation of IPC measures. Follow-up meetings with the MoH will take place to continue to support the implementation process and ensure sustainability. WHO and MoH expressed a strong interest in continued collaboration and follow-up training.