Ethiopia's only ventilator expert rushes to train staff as virus spreads

Record ID: 1551649

  • Title: Ethiopia's only ventilator expert rushes to train staff as virus spreads
  • Date: 12th May 2020
  • Summary: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (MAY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) VIEW OF TRAINING SESSION ON MECHANICAL VENTILATOR
  • Embargoed: 26th May 2020 12:53
  • Keywords: Africa's second most populous nation COVID-19 cases certified respiratory technicians mechanical ventilator respiratory therapist
  • Location: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
  • City: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
  • Country: Ethiopia
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA001CDMLPW7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: As the coronavirus epidemic gains a foothold in Ethiopia, Habtamu Kehali's skills in operating a ventilator may, for increasing numbers of patients, mean the difference between life and death.
    As the country's only respiratory therapist, Kehali is rushing to train others to help run the machines used to keep severely ill COVID-19 patients breathing.
    "We only have few patients who are under intensive (coronavirus) care but if the number is going to increase there is a risk that we might see mismanagement of ventilators," he told Reuters TV.
    "The patient might be exposed to side-effects such as infection and die."
    Ethiopia has 250 confirmed cases of the disease, a tally that has almost doubled over the past eight days, with five fatalities.
    The World Health Organisation says around 5% of COVID-19 cases are severe enough to require intensive care and mechanical ventilation.
    Health Minister Lia Tadesse told Reuters that Ethiopia had 435 ventilators and planned to buy more, and that around 800 health professionals could operate them.
    However, Habtamu said only very few had the necessary specialist skills. Ethiopia had only 12 certified holders of even the entry-level qualification of respiratory technician, all trained by him, he added.
    Habtamu has toured Ethiopian hospitals to review their preparedness for operating ventilators and, since the end of March, put 78 other health workers through two days of training, condensed from an original one-week course.
    "We can see that there is a significant gap in the clinical application of these machines ...We are trying to narrow that gap." he said.
    His trainees can now serve as support staff, but could not operate ventilators with full confidence on their own, he said, and coronavirus-related travel restrictions mean health workers from outside the capital Addis Ababa can no longer attend training.
    (Production: Kumerra Gimechu, Okwi Okoh)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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