Imagine if someone gave you a few weapons and sent you to the front line of a battlefield. Would you know how to protect yourself and win the battle? Unlikely, unless you have been trained to fight.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers have been on the front lines of a battle they were largely unprepared for. Many of them were sent to the COVID-19 warfront without training, capacity building, and the equipment they need.
As a result, thousands of health workers have been infected and many have lost their lives.
To support this workforce who form our first line of defense against “the invisible enemy,” ensure we overcome COVID-19, and increase our preparedness for whichever infectious disease invades our borders next, we need to build a nationwide network of health experts skilled in identifying and containing infectious diseases like Dr. Adadevoh and her team.
To make this happen, DRASA is establishing Nigeria’s first-ever Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Simulation Training Center to train at least 10,000 health workers each year.
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) is a multi-disciplinary approach to identifying and stopping the spread of infectious diseases but Nigeria’s health care system has a critical IPC gap.
Through the IPC Simulation Training Center, DRASA will fill this gap and ensure health workers at every point – from our healthcare facilities to our borders and airports to our local communities – are prepared, equipped, and ready to safely stop the next health threat wherever and whenever it comes.
Together, we will get through this COVID-19 pandemic and build a better prepared, more resilient health system to keep ourselves, our families, and our country safe.