The Commission for Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization conducted a two-days training workshop for more than 100 health care workers from primary health care setting, from 8^th to 16^th December 2020 in Port Mathurin, Rodrigues in view of strengthening Infection Prevention and Control (IPC).   The participants comprised medical officers, nurses, midwives, public health nursing officers, surveillance officer and other relevant health workers were trained in two batches. This training is part of the Canada Fund For Local Initiative (CFLI) project and WHO support to strengthen Infection Prevention and Control measures in the Republic of Mauritius.

Following their successful training earlier in the mainland of Mauritius in October, five local resource persons were fully engaged in facilitating the cascade training workshop on WHO IPC guidelines, standards, early detection, triage, diagnosis, and controls and related IPC measures. 

During her welcoming address at the opening of the first batch sessions on 8^th December, the Acting Director for Health, Dr. Anju Vamben-Remy stated that the only way to ensure an outbreak preparedness is to have proper policies, procedures and protocols in place and the most important component is the IPC.

The health care professionals were trained on infection prevention and control practices, Hand hygiene and IPC guidelines during the face- to-face sessions held by the technical staff of WHO.    Some videos and role play sessions were also used to make session more interactive.  The training provided some hands-on experience on donning and doffing, hand hygiene and other relevant standards IPC measures.  At the end of the training, participants were fully capacitated to act as focal points and implement and monitor respective IPC control measures in their respective field of work.

Dr. A. Vamben Remy reminded the participants of the need to have IPC at the centre of their daily routine activities because it is the basis of preventive medicine. ‘I am sure you all know and learnt about IPC, but we must admit that we tend to forget or omit to put these basics but most important measures into practice,” said the Acting Regional Director.