Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) health facilities have graduated 88 nurses and nurse aides working in Lankien, Nyirol County after two years of studying clinical courses.
The students attended Academy for Healthcare program in Lankien in Nyirol County, Jonglei State. The learners were trained on 82 skills through 5 modules and 40 units on basic clinical nursing care.
The graduates will be providing essential medical care in the MSF hospital in Lankien to the local communities.
Serviour Dombojena, the Country Representative for MSF Academy for Healthcare in South Sudan says, their skills and role will be very crucial to help MSF provide quality care to the people
“I congratulate the new group of graduates from Lankien. Their skills and role will be very crucial to help MSF provide quality care to the people of Lankien and surrounding areas.”
Dombojena adds that the organization is working in collaboration with the national Ministry of Health, the MSF Academy for Healthcare initiated its program in Abyei Administrative Area in 2019.
MSF has trained health workers in seven areas, including Lankien and Old Fangak in Jonglei State, Maban and Malakal in Upper Nile State, Pibor, Maruwa, and Boma in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, as well as Agok in Abyei Administrative Area.
The decades of conflict and under-investment in healthcare in South Sudan have resulted in severe shortages of health infrastructure and qualified doctors, nurses, and midwives, He notes.”
The Special Representative of MSF regrets the limits of access to education and training for healthcare workers in South Sudan.
MSF Academy was set up to strengthen the skills and capacities of project teams when it comes to the provision of quality healthcare. It is a two-year training program based on three pillars: competency-based curriculums, workplace training, and clinical mentoring.
According to MSF’s medical expertise and standard of practice, MSF has employed over 3,000 staff in South Sudan and over 90 percent of them are recruited locally to ensure the provision of quality care for patients.
A students Representative, Changkuoth Yoal expresses her gratitude for the great impact the academy has made in her life.
Mr. Yoal says she was inspired by the profession in 2014 after her mother was treated for Kalazar at an MSF medical facility.
“Her recovery inspired me to become a medical professional and save the lives of the people. This learning is a step towards achieving my dream of helping the community as a healthcare worker.”
The MSF Academy for Healthcare is a training initiative aimed at strengthening the skills and competencies of front-line healthcare workers, with the will to have a long-term impact on the quality of healthcare in the countries where MSF intervenes.
A special ceremony organized in Lankien on Monday 13th of this month was attended by the learners, members of their families, tutors, mentors, and representatives of MSF at both state and national Ministry of Health.