WHO has recently led a number of initiatives to support the professional development and mental health of health workers, address shortages of nursing staff and create conditions for universal access to care. The project entitled “Support for the public health and emergency care during the second wave of COVID-19 in North Macedonia” was launched in support of North Macedonia’s Ministry of Health, and funded by the Government of the United Kingdom, through their embassy in Skopje.
A tripartite collaboration to support North Macedonian health workers
North Macedonia’s Minister of Health, Dr Venko Filipce, highlighted that the government has identified the improvement of skills and education of health professionals as a critical factor in achieving better COVID-19 health care, also noting that: “We have witnessed that collaboration between countries and the collaborative mechanisms for managing the crisis are very, very important. The exchange of knowledge, experience and advice has been a great help to us in managing the crisis from the very beginning”.
Dr Jihane Tawilah, WHO Country Representative in North Macedonia explained: “We have chosen, through this joint project, to work on investing in people, investing in the health-care workers who are leading the COVID-19 response in clinics. Keeping health-care workers educated and informed is important for ensuring better and safer quality of care for patients”.
“There are no borders to this health threat. It has endangered the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere, but especially those rendered vulnerable by gender, age, disability and socioeconomic status. The UK has been working to assist the most vulnerable, to create conditions for universal access to care and to save lives,” Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia, Rachel Galloway stated.
Addressing nursing shortages
While nurses continue to play a vital role in the response to the pandemic, a shortage of staff can limit the ability of communities to effectively respond to COVID-19.
With demand for nurses seeing a surge during the pandemic, WHO has been exploring the potential for implementing accelerated training for nurses in the field of primary health care in North Macedonia. In collaboration with Coventry University and experts from the United Kingdom, WHO conducted a feasibility study on setting up an appropriate training solution to respond to the increasing demands of the nurse’s role. Pursuing this initiative further should significantly contribute towards better health system resilience.
Supporting the mental health of health workers
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the importance of mental health. With the economic and social impact of the pandemic increasing, a rise in mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance use disorders is expected. Frontline workers faced with heavy workloads, life or death decision-making and risk of infection are particularly affected, which is why WHO has initiated the integration of mental health support into the national response to COVID-19.
As part of the project, WHO adapted 4 OpenWHO specialized training courses for health-care workers. The courses included various aspects of the COVID-19 response, covering infection prevention and control in health settings and long-term facilities, as well as COVID-19 case management and rehabilitation.
In addition, 3 WHO mental health courses for health managers and health-care providers were adapted to the national context. All the courses were made available online in Macedonian and Albanian through the Ministry of Health’s online platform and received more than 2000 visits in less than a month.
WHO will continue to support an informed and educated health workforce to provide the best health services in North Macedonia and worldwide. “This is an opportunity to use the UK’s support to make a visible difference, achieve quick results, build a better future and address bottlenecks in the system,” Dr Tawilah noted.