The Ministry of Health and the Cuban Government officially launched a five-day training programme on Monday for health workers in both private and public institutions focused on emerging and re-emerging public health threats, particularly the ebola virus.
“The workshop is being facilitated by two Cuban professionals and focuses heavily on the Ebola virus which is still on the radar, since its last outbreak in 2014,” a report from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. The sessions are being held at the Regency Hotel on Hadfield Street and its main objective is to educate participants on infection, prevention and control (IPC) of the virus. A similar five-day training was recently completed in Berbice, Region Six, though the sessions were officially launched on Monday, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud said.
The CMO noted that this type of training is important as it helps health care practitioners to be prepared for public health threats which can emerge at any time. Dr Persaud said the re-emergence of the ebola virus is a fitting example of why training is needed. He said although Guyana handled the situation well in terms of its preparedness there is still a lot that can be done, because despite putting up barriers such as travel restrictions, diseases still pass through from time to time.
Meanwhile, Guyana is working along with the rest of the world to ensure that there will not be another pandemic of measles.
Meanwhile, the Pan-American Health Organ-isation (PAHO) Guyana Representative Dr William Adu-Krow said the training session is important because every year there will be a new or re-emerging public health threat.
Additionally, Dr Midalys Hernandez, Director of the Cuban Medical Brigade urged the participants to make the best of the training.
Cuban Ambassador to Guyana Dr Julio Marchante also attended the ceremony and lauded the relations between the two countries.
The training is being facilitated by Dr Ivan Sergio Reyes Salazar, Internal Medicine Specia-list and Dr Raul Conrado Bocourt Acosta, Epidemi-ologist and Infections Control Officer.
