COVID-19: PROTECTING HEALTH WORKERS AND PREGNANT WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

COVID-19 is spreading in developing countries. To support the Ministries of Health in their fight against the pandemic, Enfants du Monde and its partners, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Terre Innovative, the Research Institute of Health Sciences in Burkina Faso (IRSS/BF) and the African Public Health Institute (IASP) created two videos aimed at maternal and newborn health workers, women and communities.

Protecting oneself and protecting others

In the first video, Dr. Nicole Curti Kanyoko, health specialist at Enfants du Monde, presents the preventive measures to adopt to protect oneself from COVID-19. With images from a poster created for women in Burkina Faso, the doctor highlights the importance of respecting the measures in place to protect oneself and others and halt the spread of the virus.

Watch the video with tips to prevent the virus below (in French):

Adapting maternal and newborn checkups

The second video is intended for maternal and newborn health (MNH) care providers. Professor Kouanda Seni from the IASP explains key information about the nature of COVID-19, the risks of transmission and its symptoms. Dr Caroline Benski, obstetrician-gynaecologist at the HUG maternity ward, then describes in detail the recommendations listed below to be able to carry out MNH checkups safely:

  1. I protect myself and I protect the woman
  2. I identify the women that might be infected
  3. I plan the appointments and the birth
  4. I give key information to women and to the community

The video also puts emphasis on the importance of community engagement in providing care to pregnant women in these COVID-19 times.

Watch the video with tips for health workers below (in French):

To inform: a priority for Enfant du Monde

In the context of our collaboration with the HUG, Terre Innovative, the IRSS/BF and the IASP, Enfants du Monde has created a series of essential resources to keep health workers informed and to raise awareness among people in developing countries about COVID-19 preventive measures. These include:

Health Ministries, health centres, hospitals and health professionals in countries in the Global South are being encouraged to share this information widely to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19 and curb its spread.