Training held to strengthen capacity of pediatric trauma care
Funded by the Australian Embassy Mongolia, Save the Children is implementing the “Strengthening capacity of pediatric trauma care and child first aid responses in rural areas” project in Erdene, Altai soums of Gobi-Altai aimag, and Saikhan-Ovoo soum of Dundgobi aimag. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of pediatric trauma care and pediatric healthcare in health centers of soums, improve the preparedness and care of children, and reduce mortality, morbidity, and complications of trauma in rural areas.
The Altai soum, where the project is being implemented, is located in 1,365 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar city and 365 kilometers from the provincial center. It has a population of about 2,100 with large number of mobile populations and several border protection units.
Therefore, providing health education to herders and residents to prevent accidents and educating them on measures to be taken in case of emergency is somewhat challenging whereas doctors, nurses, teachers and social workers who work with children do not have many opportunities to get refresher training in their workplace.
Save the Children organized an emergency training on children’s trauma on March 27–28, 2023, in Altai soum where doctors and nurses of the health center in the soum, doctors of the border protection military unit, students, teachers and staff of the secondary school as well as the representatives of herders attended.
Dr. N.Namjilmaa, practitioner of the “Badral” bagh of Altai soum said, “Such trainings provide us with the opportunity to validate our theoretical knowledge and apply in practice. I gained deeper knowledge that can be applied in my workplace.”
D.Ganbaatar, herder of Altai soum, said “Injuries, burns and other emergencies happen in the rural place. I am glad to gain the first aid knowledge to apply in such cases. I wish such trainings were provided more often as we desperately need this useful knowledge.”
In the framework of the “Strengthening capacity of pediatric trauma care and child first aid responses in rural areas” project, a complete set of medical equipment necessary for accidents and injuries, such as stretchers, Cervical collar, spinal splits, Fracture splint, a “Guide for the night shift doctors”, and 50 first aid packages along with “Brief First Aid Guidelines” manuals were handed over to the health center of Altai soum, secondary school, kindergarten, dormitories, and other participants.