Last month, the first kick-off workshop of the ‘Female&Family[e]Education’ training took place in Paramaribo, Suriname. An in-service training for healthcare workers active in mother and child care in Suriname.
The training was set up by the collaborating partners Stichting Perisur from Suriname and Health[e]Foundation as part of the UTSN Twinning project ‘Zorg in de Hand’ that is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this first round 40 healthcare workers (midwives, obstetricians, doctors and obstetrics-gynecology nurses) participated in the kick-off workshop. The participants came from the Medical Mission, the Regional Health Service, the various hospitals and private GP clinics. Two more training groups of 40 participants each will be initiated later this year and in early 2021.
This in-service training is based on Health[e]Foundation’s blended learning concept; a combination of a physical kick-off workshop, e-learning period and follow-up workshop. In the coming months, participants study the e-learning modules using their preferred learning method; on their computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The modules are fully adapted to the context of maternal and child health in Suriname. The course can also be done offline so health professionals with limited access to the internet, for example in the more remote areas of Suriname, can participate.
The advantage of e-learning is that the participants can acquire the latest knowledge in the field of maternal and neonatal care in an efficient way; in their own time and chosen location. At the end of the training, participants receive a certificate from the Academic Medical Center (AMC) of the University of Amsterdam. After completing the training, the participants maintain lifelong access to the content of the training.
Robert Mohamed of the Ministry of Health opened the kick-off workshop in Paramaribo and indicated that the Surinamese Ministry is dedicated to the ‘Zorg in de Hand’ project as reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity is a high priority for the Ministry. He believes that investing in the knowledge development of health professionals is the most sustainable way to improve the quality of mother and child care in Suriname.
Organizers Fransje van der Waals and Alyanne Boon of Heath[e]Foundation and Ashna Hindori-Mohangoo and Manodj Hindori of Perisur Foundation were delighted with the large number of applications for the training. We are grateful that this project has been selected by the UTSN Twinning Facility, because this way of exchanging knowledge can make a substantial contribution to the improvement of mother and child care in Suriname.
