KOSOVO - State of the art hospital beds for General Hospitals
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↑ Haut de la pageAt the end of 2021, a workshop was organized by the “Health sector support programme – Phase II” in cooperation with the Ministry of Health (MoH) in order to align activities for 2022.
All this year long, the project will assist the MoH’s staff to strengthen their leadership capacities. How? Through different activities specifically oriented towards the legal and strategic management departments, with the purpose to build an adequate framework to support the separation of functions between providers and purchasers. On the MoH's side, a new health sector strategy will be created.
Also, the project will continue to support the “Strategic Management Department” by developing the internal regulations and policy documents. With a proper use of the “Division for Quality and Safety of healthcare services” within the respective department, the MoH will be able to develop new quality improvement tools that will increase the quality of service provision.
The KSV/017 project is co-funded by the Government of Kosovo and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by the Kosovo Ministry of Health and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
↑ Haut de la pageThe Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg continues to support its partner country, Laos, to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases, Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation has committed an additional 1.2 million EUR (14.6 billion LAK) to detect, mitigate and prevent the spread of the virus. This additional financial support raises the Government of Luxembourg’s total contribution for the successful implementation of the COVID-19 preparedness and response plan in Laos to 5.2 million EUR (63.3 billion LAK).
Mr. Sam Schreiner, Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Laos, handed over a symbolic cheque of 1.2 million EUR (14.6 billion LAK) to Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health, during an official handover ceremony at the Ministry of Health in Vientiane capital. © LuxDev
An official handover ceremony was held on December 10, 2021, at the Ministry of Health in Vientiane capital. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health, senior members of the Ministry of Health, representatives of the Bolikhamxay, Vientiane and Khammouane provincial health departments as well as representatives of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (Department of International Cooperation), and representatives of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Europe-America Department). The ceremony was attended by H.E. Mr. Sam Schreiner, Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Laos, Mr. Quentin Bourdeaux, Resident Representative of LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, representatives of the LAO/027 health sector support programme, as well as representatives of the Pasteur Institute in Laos (IPL), the World Food Program (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
In coordination with the Ministry of Health, Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation provides this additional funding to the World Food Program (WFP), the Pasteur Institute in Laos (IPL), and the Lao-Luxembourg Heath Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027). Through this latest funding assistance, Luxembourg’s support is expected:
Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation is supporting the Ministry of Health and the three central provinces of Bolikhamxay, Vientiane, and Khammouane with equipment and training, and by facilitating the supply of essential goods such as personal protective equipment (PPE), viral transport media (VTM) and infection and prevention control (IPC) and decontamination supplies, which are currently in high demand. The LAO/027 programme is also supporting the Pasteur Institute in Laos and the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology with laboratory equipment, reagents, and consumables to meet the testing needs.
As the pandemic is exacerbating the inequalities and hardships faced by already vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, the LAO/027 programme continues to work alongside national and provincial healthcare providers to ensure the delivery of essential primary healthcare services, including quality Mother, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) services.
The Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) is co-financed by the Government of Lao PDR and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and is implemented by the Lao Ministry of Health and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
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For the first time since the establishment of the general hospitals of Gjilan and Prizren, several decades ago, these were equipped with the necessary technical and financial assistance by the Health sector support programme in Kosovo (Phase II) project, KSV/017, for the drafting of Gjilan and Prizren general hospitals' strategic plans 2017-2021 and the implementation of the activities foreseen in the respective plans.
During this period, the strategic plans provided a framework for the management and staff to align their programme initiaves in the service planning process. In addition, the drafting process itself and the skills acquired over the years were very useful in guiding and preparing the hospitals’ staff in managing the pandemic more strategically, which subsequently led to the provision of better services and treatment of Covid-19 patients.
As the end of the 2021 approaches, the project in close collaboration with the staff of the hospitals, will perform an evaluation of the implementation of the strategy with a twofold purpose:
The outcomes of the evaluation and the lessons learnt will pave the way for the design of the new institutional development plans for the upcoming period 2022-2026.
The project KSV/017 was co-funded by the Government of Kosovo and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by the Kosovo Ministry of Health and LuxDev.
Between July and August 2021, the Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) has been providing essential personal care items to more than 1,000 Laotian migrant workers, returning to their hometowns. As neighbouring countries are facing an important wave of COVID-19 outbreak since April, caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, Laos has suddenly seen thousands of its migrant workers - mostly young adults, some with small children – returning home, putting a strain on quarantine facilities as well as on the overall health care system.
The surges in case numbers have prompted travel bans and extension of nationwide lockdown measures. International travel in South-East Asia remains essentially closed, but Lao migrant workers and nationals are allowed to return home through international border checkpoints; however, after crossing the border, they must undergo a 14-days quarantine in temporary accommodation centres set up by the provincial authorities (International Organization for Migration, Situation report, August 2021).
LAO/027 programme staff preparing hospitality bags in Vientiane capital (July 2021)
The COVID-19 mobility restrictions have compounded the vulnerability of some migrants and their challenges of returning home. To ensure a safe and dignified return home and to support the individuals currently in quarantine centres, the LAO/027 programme staff has prepared and dispatched some 1,000 hospitality bags (worth EUR 16,000) to the health authorities in the three central provinces of Vientiane (200 bags), Bolikhamxay (300 bags), and Khammouane (500 bags).
Truck sent to Khammouane province (August 2021)
The hospitality bags are being handed over to people entering the provincial quarantine facilities and each bag contains basic hygiene supplies such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, towels, washing powder, toilet paper, waste plastic bags, reusable meal sets, dishwashing liquid and sponge, mosquito net, thin blankets, surgical masks, and hand sanitizers.
Distribution of hospitality bags at the Phonehong quarantine facility (August 2021)
Labour migration is an important livelihood option for the Lao rural workforce and the most common destination country for Lao migrant workers is Thailand. Since the beginning of the pandemic, however, around 246,000 Lao workers have gradually returned home (Vientiane Times, July 2021). This phenomenon did not only affect Laos, as, indeed, the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global human mobility due to travel restrictions, border closures and lockdown measures to curb the spread of the virus, has left millions of migrants stranded across the world (International Labour Organisation, Quarterly Briefing Note, 2021).
Continuing to support the returning migrant workers and their families, often with very young children, but also pregnant women, older persons, students, and those seeking medical attention, is crucial. So far, 60% of the LAO/027 supported hospitality bags, were distributed to women.
Distribution of hospitality bags at a COVID-19 treatment facility in Khammouane province (August 2021)
Distribution of hospitality bags in Vientiane province (August 2021)
The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg is deeply involved in supporting its partner country, Laos, in its efforts to avoid the spread of the virus and to protect the most vulnerable population groups from the disease. Through the LAO/027 health programme, Luxembourg is continuing to provide support to the Lao health authorities to implement measures where a gap in capacity and resources have been identified at national and subnational levels.
Earlier in June 2021, Luxembourg has committed an additional EUR 1,000,000 (equivalent to LAK 11.5 billion) to detect, mitigate and prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Laos. The LAO/027 health programme is currently supporting 6 of the 10 pillars of the National COVID-19 Preparedness Response Plan 2020. Through this latest funding assistance, Luxembourg’s support is expected to:
The Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) is co-financed by the Government of Lao PDR and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and is implemented by the Lao Ministry of Health and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
↑ Haut de la pageIn its further efforts to improve quality of healthcare services, the project is committed to provide opportunities for the staff of different departments at the GH Gjilan and Prizren to continue their professional development that will contribute to the usage of newly procured equipment, quality of their practice and service delivery. To this end, the project as a part of the capacity development activities within Result 2 has assisted the hospitals on organizing training courses on usage of the ultrasound techniques of the carotid vessels, radiology examinations and pulmonary functions. Once completed, the participants will receive accredited certificates from the Kosovo Doctors’ Chamber.
The project also aims to embed a quality management system (QMS), while simultaneously considering the complexity of the healthcare sector and compatibility to Kosovo context, the project during this period has helped pave the way for the staff of the General Hospitals of Gjilan and Prizren in the elaboration of quality and safety tools (e.g. SOPs) with the ultimate objective being the quality improvement of healthcare services. As shown by many studies, the development and use of SOPs compose an integral part of a successful quality system and secure a common framework and uniformity in the provision of healthcare services, thus, improving efficiency and safety for the patients. As of now, the working groups from both hospitals in collaboration with the project team have drafted twenty-two written instruction documents.
The KSV/017 project is co-funded by the Government of Kosovo and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by the Kosovo Ministry of Health and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
↑ Haut de la pageAccording to the data published by the World Health Organization in the “Global strategy on human resources for health: Workforce 2030”, there is a global shortage of health workers, mostly in low-and lower-middle-income countries, with nurses and midwives representing over 50% of the current shortage in health workers. This shortage of health workers equally affects the eye care sector, showing an important unmet demand for ophthalmic nurses and doctors. As the population worldwide is aging, chronic eye diseases such as cataract and glaucoma are becoming the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment amongst elderly men and women.
In Laos, despite the increasing number of trained eye care practitioners over the last years, it was observed that eye care services were less attended in 2020 and 2021, in parallel with the general reduction in hospital consultations, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has severely affected the provision of eye care services by mobile teams in remote districts, thereby increasing the risk of permanent vision loss due to the postponement of essential eye care.
The Director of the National Ophthalmology Center (NOC), Dr Khamkhoun Hosavanh, handed over a certificate to an ophthalmic nurse during the ophthalmology nursing graduation ceremony at the NOC in Vientiane capital (June 2021). © LuxDev
The Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) has established a long-standing collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the University of Health Sciences to identify and support human resource development needs in the health sector.
In particular, the LAO/027 programme is collaborating with the National Ophthalmology Center in Vientiane capital and with The Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) to develop the ophthalmology care capacity in the three provinces of Vientiane, Bolikhamxay and Khammouane. Since 2018, under a service agreement with the FHF, the LAO/027 programme is supporting the provision of upgrading and clinical specialization programmes for eye care and is offering various short- and long-term scholarships to provide additional training to eye nurses and specialist doctors.
Investing in people
The delivery of quality ophthalmic care directly depends on adequate training of specialized staff. To meet the training needs for eye care nursing in Laos, a short-term training programme was specifically designed for qualified nurses to strengthen the provision of healthcare and the management of people with ophthalmic diseases.
On 22 June 2021, thirteen ophthalmology nurses have successfully completed a four-months training programme as ophthalmic nurses at the National Ophthalmology Center in the Vientiane capital, with ten graduates from the provincial and district hospitals of Khammouane (2), Bolikhamxay (4) and Vientiane (4) provinces supported by the LAO/027 programme.
This brings the total number of scholarships offered by Luxembourg to upgrade the qualifications and capacities of ophthalmology nurses to thirty-one (21 female and 10 male ophthalmic nurses) between 2018 and 2021.
Ophthalmic nursing graduation ceremony at the National Ophthalmology Center (June 2021). © LuxDev
This training programme covers every aspect of ophthalmic nursing, including the physiology of the eye, diseases that affect the eye, clinical management, and the complexities of managing people with a variety of eye disorders. After the training programme, the ophthalmology nurses are posted in provincial and district hospitals to provide basic eye care services and to raise awareness among their communities on avoidable blindness through community outreach activities.
Besides the short-term Ophthalmic nursing programme, the LAO/027 programme is supporting the following eye care focused courses, in collaboration with the FHF:
Investing in equipment and technology
While investing in training capacity is one of the key components to building a stronger health workforce and strengthening the health system, the LAO/027 programme is also supporting the creation of an enabling environment for ophthalmology services in the health facilities in the three provinces of Vientiane, Bolikhamxay, and Khammouane.
Cataract surgery at the Bolikhamxay provincial hospital in July 2020. © LuxDev
To reinforce the scope and the quality of curative ophthalmological services at the provincial level, the LAO/027 programme has renovated the old ophthalmology unit of the Bolikhamxay provincial hospital and has provided additional eye care equipment for eye surgeries.
The ophthalmology surgical department established at the Bolikhamxay provincial hospital opened its doors last year in July 2020 and is staffed by a qualified ophthalmologist team trained in Thailand and at the University of Health Sciences in Vientiane capital. The Bolikhamxay provincial hospital provides care and treatment services, including services for eye-related diseases such as cataract and glaucoma.
The Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) is co-financed by the Government of Lao PDR and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and is implemented by the Lao Ministry of Health and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
↑ Haut de la pageThe Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg continues to work alongside its partner country, Laos, to strengthen the national capacities to detect, assess and respond to acute public health events. In response to the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases, Luxembourg, through the Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027), has committed an additional 1,000,000 EUR (equivalent to 11.5 billion LAK) to detect, mitigate and prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
An official handover ceremony was held on 10th June 2021, at the Ministry of Health in Vientiane in the presence of Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health, senior members from the Ministry of Health, the National Centre of Laboratory and Epidemiology, the Institut Pasteur du Laos, representatives from the Embassy of Luxembourg in Laos, and representatives from the LAO/027 health programme.
Mr. Sam Schreiner, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Luxembourg in Laos and Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health, during an official handover ceremony at the Ministry of Health in Vientiane capital. (June, 2021)
Mr. Sam Schreiner, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Luxembourg, congratulated the Government and the people of Laos for the, so far, successful handling of the ongoing crisis and stated that a strong COVID-19 response should include, besides a rapid vaccination drive, a comprehensive surveillance and testing strategy. In this regard, support to strengthen laboratory capacity is essential for the rapid detection of positive cases and the roll out of a timely response to contain the spread. Mr. Schreiner furthermore stressed the “absolute need for close donor coordination with the Government of Laos in the ongoing fight against COVID-19 in order to avoid any unfortunate duplication of efforts or gaps and to husband the all too rare resources”.
In coordination with the Ministry of Health, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation will provide this additional funding to the National Centre of Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE) and the Institut Pasteur du Laos (IPL), the two official laboratories for sample screening. The additional funds will, amongst others, be used to support the procurement of laboratory equipment, reagents, and swabs to meet the high demand for testing.
Furthermore, the LAO/027 health programme is continuing to support the Ministry of Health and the three Luxembourg supported provinces of Bolikhamxay, Khammouane and Vientiane, through the acquisition of medical devices, personal protective equipment (PPE) and consumables which are currently in high demand.
Through this latest funding assistance, Luxembourg’s support is expected to:
This support is part of the Team Europe joint response and is in addition to the 3,000,000 EUR (34.5 billion LAK), which were transferred in 2020 by the Government of Luxembourg to support the Government of Lao PDR’s COVID-19 preparedness and response.
The Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) is co-financed by the Government of Lao PDR and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and is implemented by the Lao Ministry of Health and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
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The Lao – Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) launched its first remote training under the LuxNet platform in Laos. The Neurology for non-neurologists training was held between 17 and 21 May 2021 and was presented by clinicians and neurology specialists from the Neurological Institute of Thailand (NIT). 26 health professionals from the three Luxembourg supported provinces of Bolikhamxay, Vientiane and Khammouane attended the five-days intensive remote training via Zoom.
Remote neurology training provided by the Neurological Institute of Thailand (May 2021).
The objective of the training was to increase the knowledge, understanding and skills of health personnel who are involved in providing care to patients in this area of specialisation. Providing neurology training in Laos is crucial taking into consideration that disease profiles, health-seeking behavior and clinical requirements are changing in the country. Indeed, hospitals are expected to see a substantial increase in lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and stroke.
The online training offered by the NIT consisted of 35 different lectures targeted to physicians and practicticing registered nurses. The five-days intensive online education (6-7 hrs/day) consisted of live webinars and group discussions. During the lectures, the participants had the opportunity to learn about neurological assessment, anatomy and physiology, and the clinical aspects and treatment of such disorders including trauma brain injury, stroke, and seizures. The topics covered included for instance: seizure management in pregnancy and other special situations, common pediatric neurological diseases, nursing management for epilepsy and stroke patients.
The LuxNet training platform
Conventional face-to-face training is challenged due to travel restrictions and current social distancing measures; in response, the LAO/027 programme has accelerated the introduction of remote teaching and training mechanisms in the health sector in Laos.
The remote neurology training is part of the broader LuxNet training platform established by the LAO/027 health programme to strengthen human resource capital development. Improving the skills of health workforce, forecasting the workforce needs in the short and medium term, and ensuring that the most appropriate skill-mix is available in the hospitals, are some of the key focus areas of the LAO/027 programme. The remote trainings are designed:
The LAO/027 programme is supporting key stakeholders for effective use of the LuxNet platform. The provincial hospitals in the three Luxembourg supported provinces of Bolikhamxay, Khammouane, and Vientiane, have already received a LuxNet installation. The installation of LuxNet is currently being rolled out to the Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Bureau, the provincial and district health offices, and to 28 preselected district hospitals.
Trilateral Cooperation between Thailand, Luxembourg, and Laos
The LuxNet initiative aims to improve communication between a network of stakeholders from academia, teaching and technical partners providing remote teaching and training. The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has been linked to the LuxNet platform as the active participation of national training institutions is critical. The UHS is currently responsible for identifying the training needs and for connecting the national academic training institutions to the different provincial hospitals.
In addition, LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, is collaborating with the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) in the field of public health. TICA plays an important role in facilitating cooperation with Thai hospitals and training institutions. The long-term goal is to establish collaborative partnerships between Laos and Thailand in the health sector (e.g., through the twinning of Lao provincial hospitals with Thai border hospitals, through the development of a telemedicine hub in Laos and Thailand, and through the provision of technical assistance and short-term trainings by Thai health experts).
The Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) is co-financed by the Government of Lao PDR and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and is implemented by the Lao Ministry of Health and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
↑ Haut de la pageThe Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, through the Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027), is deeply involved in supporting the Government of Lao PDR in its COVID-19 preparedness and response.
As the country weathers a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, the LAO/027 programme continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Health and other international partners to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the national healthcare system.
As part of Luxembourg’s COVID-19 grant support, three ‘Decontamination Unit’ vehicles and decontamination equipment were handed over to the Ministry of Health in January 2021 to strengthen provincial authorities’ ability to respond to potential coronavirus infections.
These Decontamination Unit vehicles are today fully operational in the three provinces of Vientiane, Bolikhamxay and Khammouane. A team of well trained and equipped professionals is currently providing a rapid and mobile response in each of the three provinces. The Decontamination Unit is responsible for the disinfection and decontamination of healthcare and non-healthcare settings potentially contaminated by coronavirus such as isolation facilities, hospitals, official buildings as well as other locations where suspected, probable, and confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been.
Decontamination at a quarantine centre in Phonhong, Vientiane Province (March 2021) © LuxDev
Disinfection at a COVID-19 treatment facility in Khammouane Province (April 2021) © LuxDev
Disinfection at the Provincial Health Department (PHD) Office in Vientiane Province (April 2021) © LuxDev
Disinfection at the Bolikhamxay Provincial Hospital (April 2021) © LuxDev
Each decontamination vehicle contains essential equipment, including rechargeable battery nebulisers, disinfectants, cleaning materials, and other supplies such as protective equipment, goggles, boots, and gloves.
Decontamination Unit’ vehicle (April 2021) © LuxDev
As the number of new cases continue to increase, the request for decontamination is outpacing the current capacities. The LAO/027 programme has provided the mobile teams with additional emergency sanitation supplies and nebulisers.
Decontamination at a local market in Vientiane province (May 1st, 2021) (pictures published on social media)
Luxembourg, through its membership of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, is also supporting the distribution of free vaccines in Lao PDR. The country has received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility in March 2021. The shipment consisted of 132,000 doses of the SII-AstraZeneca vaccine and it was the first batch of a total of 480,000 doses that are being planned for delivery to Laos via the COVAX initiative by May 2021.
The Lao-Luxembourg Health Sector Support Programme Phase II (LAO/027) is co-financed by the Government of Lao PDR and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and is implemented by the Lao Ministry of Health and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
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