Thirteen individuals from the Northern Division participated in two days of training on improving patient care, RHD awareness and advocacy, as well as on the basics of counselling. They came from across Vanua Levu from Labasa, Nabouwalu, Savusavu and Taveuni. These participants are either RHD Liaison Nurses in their respective health facilities or they are People Living With RHD.
On day one of the training, participants were given an in-depth understanding of RHD on its developmental stages from the simplest of symptoms which leads to Rheumatic Fever and how it can lead to heart damage. Understanding this was essential in planning awareness and advocacy sessions in the community. One major response from the participants was that there was a need for closer interaction between the patients and the Medical Personnel; especially in newly diagnosed cases as many of them lack the basic comprehension capabilities to fully understand how RHD affects the body and the importance of preventative measures. The training also provided a much-needed dialogue between the Nurses and facilitators and each participant was able to learn and understand more about their roles regarding RHD.
Day two was solely dedicated to the introductory session on Basic Counselling. Facilitated by lead Counsellor, Ms. Sharal Chand – this session enabled the participants to be equipped with basic interaction, communication and comprehension skills empowering them to engage better with patients in the community and their care givers or family members.
The training targeted People Living With RHD who will now take up the challenge to become Community Champions and assist the Nurses in carrying out Community Awareness and Advocacy Sessions. It also highlighted the need for a more focused approach to be taken for the Northern Division, especially for Vanua Levu and this is something that we will be looking into before the end of this year. The training ended with each participant receiving their Certificates as well as resource materials equipping them to go back and create awareness sessions for their communities and schools.
