Omani Medical Specialty Board provided training to 24 Yemeni physicians virtually in critical care skills

Muscat – A first-of-its kind twinning project between medical bodies in Oman and Yemen has ensured the deployment of critical care in the worn-torn country and saving thousands of lives.

As part of a fruitful inter-regional collaboration, the World Health Organization (WHO) country offices in Yemen and Oman linked the Omani Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) to the University of Aden’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in a project that delivered the fundamentals of a critical care support course for 24 intensive care unit doctors working in public hospitals in Yemen.

‘Through the project, the professional experiences of OMSB – a leading medical body in the region – were shared with experts in Yemen to expand educational offerings and best practices,’ WHO stated. OMSB provided training virtually to 24 physicians, who had recently completed a nine-week preparatory programme in critical care skills.

Yemen faces increasing demands for critical care and ICU services amid a brain drain to the private sector and abroad among specialised health workers. WHO has been providing short courses in Yemen in case management targeting more than 2,000 health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with support from the World Bank and other partners.

Dr Jean Jabbour, WHO Representative to Oman, highlighted the value of such endeavours in the region stating, “It is our duty as a leading health agency to sustain post-conflict countries in rebuilding and strengthening their health systems while following WHO’s six health systems building blocks framework, one of which is workforce capacity-building.”

Dr Adham Moneim, WHO Representative to Yemen, further explained, “Activities like this twinning project provide practical examples of how we can bridge the humanitarian-development nexus, leveraging South-South Cooperation, to build health system resilience and be better prepared for emergencies.”

Additional training is in the pipeline to reinforce the project’s outcomes towards lowering rates of medical errors and improving the quality of care in hospitals in Yemen.