Aden, 22 June 2022 – Providing critical care in Yemen is a challenging task. Doctors and nurses with the skills and knowledge needed to save lives are often pulled to the private sector and abroad because of better salaries and working conditions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, short-term intensive care and critical care trainings have filled an important gap in strengthening case management capacities. The WHO Representative to Yemen, Dr Adham Rashad Ismail Abdel Moneim explains “with support from partners, including the World Bank, WHO and the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) trained more than 2000 health workers in case management. These short-term trainings were designed based on needs and country capacities”.

Now, WHO and MoPHP are looking towards a future beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, and towards lasting improvements in critical care capacities. With the World Bank’s support via the Yemen COVID-19 Response Project (YCRP), a longer-term training is being rolled out to quickly build a cadre of competent nurses and physicians working in government hospital intensive care units (ICUs) in Yemen. This training will contribute to ensuring the health system is equipped with sufficient critical care capacity for future emergencies.

After consultation with the MoPHP, University of Aden Faculty of Nursing and Medicine, and senior health professionals, a curriculum for a certificate course in critical care was developed. The 9-week course includes didactic, university-based laboratory simulations and practical clinical attachments in ICUs, delivered in partnership with Oman Medical Specialty Board. Course modules are being delivered in a variety of locations: theory at conference venues in Aden, laboratory simulations at the University of Aden Faculty of Medicine & Nursing Skills Laboratory, and practical classes in ICUs in government and private hospitals in Aden. The course also incorporates online training by WHO and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.

Participants who pass the course will receive a certificate in the Fundamentals of Critical Care Support (FCCS) from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Aden. To ensure a return on investment, participants will be bonded to work in public sector hospitals for two years.

Forty-eight health workers are taking part in the inaugural course – 24 physicians and 24 nurses from all southern governorates in Yemen. They were selected via a competitive process, including an interview and written test, and all the participants are currently working in government hospital ICUs.

Implementation of this course is possible because of strong teamwork and close collaboration with the University of Aden, MoPHP, numerous hospitals in Aden, the World Bank and WHO. In the rollout, work is ongoing with the authorities to improve the didactic, simulation, and clinical sessions to enhance the experience for the students.

By contributing towards producing a cadre of critical care experts, this course is part of bridging the humanitarian-development nexus. It is both enhancing emergency preparedness and response capacities in Yemen, as well as strengthening critical care capacities within the heath system.