To ensure that health workers are ready to deal with Dengvaixa victims, the Department of Health (DoH) – Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) has started its three-day training for the first of eight batches of health workers for Psychosocial Intervention in preparation for community work in Dengvaxia affected communities in the region.
Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo said health workers need to be mentally fit and prepared in order to facilitate effective management and communication among dengvaxia affected families.
“They must learn to exercise maximum tolerance, control their emotions, and be able to appease the anxieties of distressed parents,” he said.
“We must reach out to each and every affected parent and ensure that they will be given the proper information and knowledge and assure them that the government is ready to provide assistance 24/7,” he added.
Janairo added that they will be training 400 health workers who will do community work and provide dialogues with parents of Dengvaxia Vaccinated Individuals (DVIs).
This includes provincial health team leaders, development management officers, program managers, nurses, medical technologists, local health officers and barangay health workers. The training for the eight batches will conclude at the end of this month.
Among the objectives of the training is to develop the psychosocial skills of health workers in handling difficult cases including how to rebuild the thrust and confidence of families of DVIs.
It also provides safety measures for health workers so that they may not burn-out or be stressed out in dealing with unsympathetic and challenging clients.
“We will go house-to-house and provide proper and accurate information to the affected families and assure them that assistance and support will be given to them. “This approach will enable us to bring people’s trust back to the programs of DOH, especially in immunization.” assured Janairo.
“It is for the health department to provide the safety and protection of these affected children and ensure that they will receive the benefits and support that they deserve that is why we also need to enhance the skills of our health providers in order for them to provide effective management and assistance in dealing with the target clients,” he added.
