More than Twenty participants from various health institutions across the country have convened at Kabwe Central Hospital for a 9-day training programme in Emergency Preparedness for Senior Nurses and Midwives, on cholera, measles, mpox and climate related threats.
The training is designed to prepare senior nursing officers and midwifery leadership to confront outbreaks and recurrent public health threats.
Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Kennedy Lishimpi who officially opened the training in Kabwe, says the exercise is aimed at empowering the front-line health staff with planning and to shape how quickly service delivery is tackled in saving lives during emergencies.
The media reports that in a speech delivered on his behalf by Nursing and Midwifery Services Director Daphne Shamambo, Dr. Lishimpi acknowledged that the strength of the health system depends on how well prepared the health workers are when the country is raided by the outbreaks.
He noted that the country is sometimes confronted with outbreaks that demand urgent action and coordinated leadership, requiring vigilance and rapid response.
And the PS further observed that emergencies mostly occur simultaneously, multiply and expose the strength or fragility of the preparedness system, hence the need to train the nursing and midwifery workforce.
He also commended Chief Nursing Officers for their dedication in occupying a strategic position at the heart of emergency response.
And in a vote for thanks, Chief Nursing Officer for Emergency Services Georgina Chipowe hailed the Ministry of Health for the initiative to train 22 health workers and 6 facilitators.
Ms Chipowe said the emergency preparedness training will provide an insight on how to handle recurrent public health threats.
