• Government of Nepal, Temasek Foundation International and SingHealth collaborate on 3-year training programme for healthcare professionals
Nepal, 3 May 2017 – Over 560 healthcare professionals from Nepal will participate in a post-disaster recovery training programme jointly developed by the Government of Nepal and SingHealth, Singapore’s largest public healthcare group. The three-year programme is supported by S$592,850 ($43.6 million Nepalese rupees) in grant funding from Temasek Foundation International, with assistance and in-kind contribution by the Government of Nepal and SingHealth.

Launched in Nepal today by Honourable Minister Gagan Kumar Thapa, Ministry of Health, Nepal and Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, the training will commence in June 2017 for 60 hospital leaders, 300 clinician-specialists as well as 200 nurses and allied health professionals from Nepal.

The programme aims to equip participants with the expertise to manage emergencies post-disaster to ensure timely response and recovery, as well as develop disaster response systems and protocols to ensure strong governance and preparedness.

Professor Tay Boon Keng, Emeritus Consultant, SingHealth International Collaboration Office, said: “We are privileged to partner the Government of Nepal to develop post-disaster recovery capabilities through advanced specialty training. As we work together to improve disaster management and emergency care, both healthcare teams will learn from each other and share expertise to build disaster healthcare response systems that are sustainable and future-ready.”

Mr Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive, Temasek Foundation International, Singapore said: “From time to time, communities in Asia may face disasters that may cause great distress to their lives and livelihoods. Hence, it is important that medical and community health professionals are able to respond effectively if such disasters happen. We hope this programme will develop the capabilities of health care leaders and specialists in this area, and nurture networks of cooperation between relevant agencies in Nepal and Singapore. ”

To cater to the training needs of clinician-specialists in Nepal, the curriculum will focus on key areas such as community first responder training, on-site management of disasters and emergency ambulance system training.

Upon completion of the programme, 20 clinician specialists will be selected to be trained in Singapore as master trainers, who will in turn train another 750 healthcare professionals in Nepal to further multiply the benefits of the training. The master trainers programme will have strong emphasis on inter-professional models of care and include high-fidelity simulation, disaster recovery tracking and treatment measures.

For nurses and allied health professionals, the training will encompass trauma management in the areas of critical care, orthopaedic, chest and limb physiotherapy, trauma nursing, and post-traumatic stress counselling.