PATNA: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to strengthen our health systems for handling healthcare delivery mechanisms and preparedness to effectively handle and contain any future pandemic. The quantum of patients soliciting medical care was a wake-up call for the state to further accentuate access and quality delivery of services.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored Reaching Impact, Saturation, and Epidemic Control (RISE) project is supporting 2000 plus tertiary and secondary facilities across 28 states in strengthening health systems by enhancing competencies and skills of the healthcare providers in critical care and medical management, strengthening oxygen ecosystem & laboratory services, improving vaccination coverage and bio-medical waste management. So far, RISE has supported upskilling of more than 51,000 healthcare providers, including doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff, through 796 batches of trainings. (Data till February 8, 2023).
AIIMS Patna was identified as the Centre of Excellence owing to the expertise, and has been a key partner in spearheading the trainings in the past, and our commitment is paving way presently, as well as the future to sustain the efforts achieved in the last two years of RISE’ technical assistance.
An E-Grand session on “Newer Variant of COVID-19: Myths and Facts” was inaugurated on Friday by Ravi Kishan, Member of Parliament, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar.
The session witnessed august presence of Pratyaya Amrit, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Maj. General (Prof.) Atul Kotwal, Executive Director, National Health Systems Resource Strengthening, S.K Malviya, Director, Press Information Bureau, and, Dr. Gopal Krushna Pal, Director, AIIMS Patna, Dr C.M Singh, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS Patna, represented the government at this ceremonious event.
Dr Sangita Patel, Director, Health Office, USAID along with Dr Somesh Kumar, Country Director, Jhpiego India, expressed their gratitude for the continuous support extended by the state government.
Ravi Kishan, MP, highlighted the importance of “strengthening the health infrastructure to prepare the health systems to prepare, predict, and prevent such catastrophic events in the future. He appreciated USAID RISE project in providing intensive technical assistance to government’ at both, national and state level in providing quality COVID-19 care and establishing a mechanism for enhancing skilling of healthcare workers.”
Sanjay Kumar Singh ED SBS, “USAID RISE has always been a key stakeholder and a partner in supporting our healthcare professionals in enhancing their skills in areas where the need of the hour was most felt, the support continues to this date. Our collaboration in sustaining the efforts and learnings gained during the first two-waves of the pandemic is critical. I see this partnership going forward wherein Mpox and other zoonotic diseases will also be under the ambit of critical importance”
Maj. General (Prof), Atul Kotwal, elicited, “Resilience is the key”: Financing in healthcare has witnessed significant growth, the need of the hour is to use the investments efficiently. Collaboration and cross-sectoral partnerships are the need of the hour to effectively combat any future pandemics.”
Dr Krushna Gopal Pal, Director, AIIMS, Patna, “lauded the technical assistance provided by Jhpiego led RISE project in the state in establishing Critical Care Working Groups, focusing on delivering technical assistance in strengthening critical COVID-19 care, starting from the need assessment and the enhancement of skilling of healthcare providers.”
Sangita Patel, Director, Health Office, USAID, “partnerships are the cornerstone for strengthening our health system, cross-learning and experiential learning play a critical role in manifesting the larger goal of well-being of the citizens, we are committed to support the government in empowering the health systems to enable access and availability to quality healthcare”
Dr Somesh Kumar, Country Director, Jhpiego, through RISE, our objective from the initiation of the project has been to support our frontline warriors. With support from USAID, RISE has enhanced competencies and skills of 2141 healthcare providers in the state through 18 skill and enhancement sessions. Our commitment is to strengthen the healthcare system to effectively combat and contain future pandemics to save lives.
–PIB
