UNMISS Medical Unit ramps up prevention measures and awareness-raising among its own peacekeepers to ensure safety of host populations and its own personnel.
On this year’s World Health Day, the world faces an unprecedented challenge in the form of COVID-19. With two people having tested positive for the virus, the Health Services at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), joins the ranks of first responders, doctors and nurses who are at the frontline of the global response to the virus.“We were as prepared for this as possible, under the circumstances,” says Dr. Ghulam Farooq, Officer In Charge of Health Services, UNMISS. Dr. Farooq and his medical staff have created a three-room isolation facility, while intensifying physical distancing and ensuring Personal Protective Equipment is available to everybody working at the mission’s various clinics.
“Initially, we had isolated two patients who were suspected to have contracted the virus; but thankfully, they tested negative. As a safety measure, we’re still in contact with them,” reveals Dr. Farooq. However, in subsequent days, two UN staff members have tested positive for the virus.
This has motivated the UNMISS Medical Unit to ramp up prevention measures and awareness-raising among its own peacekeepers.
“From circulating flyers with preventative measures approved by the World Health Organisation, to setting up hand sanitizing stations outside accommodations and offices, as well as enforcing self-quarantine by staff members who had travelled through countries with coronavirus or, now, who may have come into contact with affected people, we are doing everything in our capacity to keep UNMISS personnel safe so that the mission is able to continue its mandated tasks in South Sudan,” he adds.
Minimizing inter-personal contact has also been a priority. “We understand that in the absence of a vaccine or cure for COVID-19, social distancing is one of the key measures that UNMISS can take to prevent the spread of the virus among staff; therefore, we have increased cleaning with appropriate disinfecting agents in frequently used areas while ensuring staff members are responsible for keeping their accommodations hygienic and sanitized. We’re even beginning to extend self-cleaning measures to staff who are still working from their offices to prevent any possible transmission,” states Qazi Ullah, Chief, Service Delivery, adding that most staff are now working remotely, while rotations for uniformed personnel have been stopped until June 30, as per directions given by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.
“This is a time of stress for essential staff who are in-mission; we are trying our best to ensure their welfare while taking all essential health safeguards. For example, staff members can use facilities such as the gym only for 30 minutes and only in limited numbers to make sure adequate physical distance is maintained at all times,” comments Dr Farooq. Similarly, people who are self-quarantine have been allocated a “buddy” who checks in on them regularly.
“These days are difficult and challenging for all of us to be away from our families and loved ones, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure we keep the communities we serve as well as ourselves as safe and healthy as we can,” he says.
UNMISS continues to collaborate with national authorities and the Agencies, Funds and Programmes to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in South Sudan as it continues carrying out vital work across the country, including protecting civilians, providing humanitarian and development assistance and supporting peace-building efforts as much as possible despite COVID-19. It has taken strong, early measures to prevent and prepare for COVID-19. This includes freezing all travel by staff into the country and requiring staff who arrived prior to that ban to self-quarantine for 14 days; drastically reducing numbers of staff in offices by requiring people to work from home and reducing internal flights to essential operations only.
Other measures include ensuring all non-critical national staff, cleaners and security guards are staying at home on full-pay; strict physical distancing to keep people two meters apart whether at work or while socializing and frequent hand washing as well as the use of hand sanitizers. Additionally, the UN is supporting the efforts of the Government’s National Task Force and the Ministry of Health to respond to COVID-19 in the country.