Health emergencies, ranging from pandemics to natural disasters, accidents, and complications during pregnancies, can have profound consequences, especially for vulnerable communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical importance of robust emergency services. Primary healthcare centers, as the frontline defense against emergencies, play a pivotal role in ensuring local health workers are adequately equipped and trained to provide effective emergency services and save lives.
Despite the initiation of numerous training programs by health authorities to enhance the skills of frontline healthcare personnel, particularly in emergency services, challenges persist. Financial constraints often limit access to training opportunities, leading to disparities in technical skills, especially in treating patients facing medical emergencies.
Recognizing this urgent need for support, the Ministry of Health collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and provincial health authorities in October and November 2023 to conduct a three-day training series in Jambi and Southeast Sulawesi provinces in Indonesia. The diverse geographical settings of these provinces, representing mainland and island regions, aimed to address the varied challenges faced in emergency response.
A team of physicians and paramedics experts from Germany facilitated the training, covering a spectrum of emergency services, including general emergency handling, responses to internal diseases, accidents/trauma, burns, animal bites, drowning, as well as emergency situations involving pregnant women and childbirth. The participants received practical tools for managing emergencies, encompassing patient prioritization through triage, stabilization before referral, communication with patients’ families, monitoring during transportation, and understanding the process of referring patients back to the hospital or other healthcare facilities.
Pre- and post-test assessments revealed an impressive 88% increase in participants’ knowledge, indicating the effectiveness and efficiency of the training program. Positive feedback and high satisfaction among participants underscored the success of the initiative.
A nurse from Jambi expressed gratitude, stating, “As a nurse, I am very grateful for the implementation of this training. It allows me to acquire knowledge in emergency care, which I can apply in the Puskesmas where I work. Some supporting tools may be modified in various regions based on the resources available.”
Following the training, participants independently initiated in-house training at two Puskesmas in Konowe Kepulauan Regency, South-east Sulawesi Province, demonstrating proactive engagement and commitment to sharing knowledge within the community. This initiative highlights the importance of central-level involvement, particularly from the Ministry of Health, in advocating for and supporting province and district health authorities to allocate resources for sustaining and scaling up health worker training initiatives.
WHO will continue to support the Ministry of Health in advocacy efforts to sub-national governments, endorsing training materials and curriculum to ensure regular and consistent capacity-building activities across different regions in Indonesia.
