Learning to save more lives

Training For Emergencies: Unlike in the past, where they waited for the advice of senior doctors, junior physicians at the Thimphu referral hospital’s busiest unit, the emergency, can today immediately introduce treatment to a patient. 

That kind of response and treatment to save lives, say doctors, is one of the immediate impacts of the training they were recently given on advanced cardiovascular life support for adults and paediatric life support.

Some 30 general physicians and nurses, from hospitals across the country, were trained for five days from November 5 on basic life support and CPR in emergencies. 

The trainings use advanced life support mannequins, which respond like a “live sick patient”, allowing doctors to learn how their treatment and medication are working on a patient.

Starting November 12, another four-day training was also conducted for instructors, who would be certified to train all health personnel on managing advanced cases in emergencies.  Similar trainings have been held since September, where about 100 health workers were taught to provide faster and better emergency care in health facilities. 

Two resource persons from the Hoch centre for Phelps emergency education, USA, conducted the training, with support from Bhutan Foundation.

“The training was done to enhance the knowledge and skills of our health personnel during emergencies, and improve the standard of emergency care,” head of the emergency department and neurosurgeon Dr Tashi Tenzin said. 

Dr Tashi Tenzin has observed that, about a year ago, they were not as efficient but, after the training, he has noticed the improvement in delivery of health care services.

Recently, when a 50-year-old man walked into the emergency in pain, the trained health workers, who were around, immediately helped the patient by putting into practice the skills they had just learnt. “The emergency department can recognise, treat severe cases and provide better triage services,” Dr Tashi Tenzin said.

One of the resource persons, Dr Norman Herman, said the training would help health workers at the emergency to be able to quickly assess the problem, and manage advance cases like cardiac arrest. “There are a number of GPs, who give significant care to patients, and are willing to learn all the time,” he said. 

By Sonam Pelden