Banjul – The rapid spread of COVID-19 in the Gambia in recent weeks is pushing The Gambia’s healthcare system to the brink. Over the last 30 days, the country recorded a 1,860 per cent increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, with The Gambia crossing the grim milestone of 1,000 cases on 5 August.

To cope with this situation, the several hotels have been repurposed into quarantine centers but these have quickly become overwhelmed. In these centers, healthcare workers and support staff are managing every day the pandemic, taking a toll on their physical and mental wellbeing.

To support quarantine centers in mitigating COVID-19’s spread, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health organized a four-day training in Banjul from 4-7 August on the fundamentals of infection prevention and control.

100 public health and clinical staff, fumigation and waste management staff, psychosocial and social workers, hotel and security workers, and drivers were trained on the proper use of personal protective equipment, sample collection safety techniques, comprehensive case management and effective risk communication.

“The increasing number of positive cases means more work for us. I barely have time to rest. It’s going to be difficult to handle in the coming weeks,” described Adama Jarju, a hotel worker. With Gambian tourism at a complete standstill, hotel staff have been thrust into the role of frontline workers.

This training was particularly crucial for hotel workers, like Jarju and police officer Seedy M. Wally, who are at the frontline of response efforts without a medical background. “As a security personnel, it is my job to guide those in quarantine to follow proper guidelines, counsel those who attempt to escape and ensure everyone completes their mandatory quarantine period. From this training, I can further orient my colleagues on precautionary measures while they patrol the centers,” expressed Wally.

The provision of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) was further incorporated into the training, with isolation taking a toll on the wellbeing of quarantine residents. “Counseling skills are key while working in these centers,” declared Mariama Badjie. “Here we have the opportunity to better understand how to listen, observe and effectively communicate, in order to deal with challenges at the centers”, she adds

“Healthcare workers and support staff bear a much higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. This training emphasizes the need for them to adhere to proper protocol and reinforce them when dealing with confirmed or suspected cases,” remarked Dr. Simeonette De Asis, IOM’s Migration Health Officer in The Gambia. “Furthermore, mainstreaming MHPSS principles into the training will hopefully boost staff morale—enabling them to provide quality counseling and support to quarantine residents.”

The training was made possible with support from the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

*All data reported is as of 7 August 2020.

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For more information, please contact Miko Alazas at IOM The Gambia; Tel: +220 330 3168, Email: aalazas@iom.int

For more information on the regional response, please contact Florence Kim at IOM Regional Office for West and Central Africa; Tel : +221 78 620 62 13; Email: fkim@iom.int