An innovative STI and HIV training for community-based nurses was officially closed last Friday at the Red Mansion Inn in Honiara.
The successful six-week course was organized by Save the Children together with the Ministry of Health and other partner organizations.Participating during the six weeks program were twenty three nurses from community-based clinics from all provinces in the Solomon Islands.
The aim of the training was to refresh trainee's knowledge on STI and HIV, and to enable them to share their knowledge with their fellow colleagues in their provinces.
Speaking during the closing ceremony, the Country Program Director of Save the Children, Mr. Ramesh Puri said that "the Provincial nurses are now well trained to manage youth health issues and provide youth-friendly services within their communities."
"With their certificate they are certified to perform general counseling and HIV testing and also are able to train their colleagues on issues related to HIV and AIDS," he added.
He also stated that the HIV and AIDS training program is designed by Save the Children, adding that "there will be a follow-up field visit to monitor the effectiveness of the training and to ensure that it is being implemented satisfactorily."
Mr. Puri said that there is need to train more nurses to make sure that the project achieves its objective of increased testing and awareness at community based levels. Mr. Puri said that there are plans for more training in the near future.