Name of health worker: Ojok Tom
Occupation: Nurse
Lira Regional Referral Hospital
I have run Ebola operations in the past but managing the Covid19 pandemic was SCARY from the onset of operations.
What we did was; set up screening sites at the major border points, deployed our volunteers to the front lines, trained burial teams, set up ambulances for evacuating Covid19 patients, and set up mechanisms to raise funds. We have had ourselves at the front line, even in the red zones. We hope that going forward, there is not only integration to help minimize costs, but also step up the preparedness.
“There was a lot of stigma right from the beginning, along the way, I was living in fear of my staff getting exposed.”
In a bid to deal with this pandemic and as first responders, my team and I have had to commit a lot of personal and private time. We had scarce resources yet one had to have a mask on amidst all this. Therefore, there is a need to support health workers at the forefront.
I believe the best way to handle these issues is by creating sustainable systems, strong collaboration with stakeholders, and most importantly, through Integrated Programing.