SOUTHERN PROVINCE

MUHANGA — Scores of health experts in the southern province have undergone training in offering first aid and treating several diseases. The training was organized by Twubakane/IntraHealth project based on a health manual prepared by the Ministry of Health.

The participants are expected to train others in their respective communities.The three-day training attracted participants, from Kamonyi, Muhanga, Ruhango, Nyamagabe, and Nyaruguru districts.

"The participants will subsequently disseminate acquired skills to other community health workers, counsellors and volunteers in order to improve access to health services," Jean Marie Sinari, an official of Twubakane/IntraHealth told The New Times on Wednesday.

Each of the represented districts and health centers was tasked to select three priority health areas to be tackled, prepare a budget framework and identify a timeframe within which to implement the community training.

Some of the priority health concerns to be addressed included, training communities on common diseases, nutrition, basic hygiene, and HIV/Aids prevention and care for Aids patients. About 3,363 community health agents, volunteers and counsellors would be involved in the implementation.

Twubakane/ IntraHealth will financially support the training programme in the communities expected to start in June after all the targeted health providers are acquainted with the Kinyarwanda version of the manual, according to Sinari.

Participants observed that the health intervention in the province was timely owing to poor hygiene, lack of first aid skills, and increased births rates in Nyamagabe, said Jean Claude Mushimyimana, a doctor at Kitabi health centre.

Ends