NEW DELHI: Recognising that
vaccine administration to protect against
Covid-19 will be a mammoth task, the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) has decided to support a nine-day up-skilling training module for nurses and pharmacists to be steered by
Apollo Medskills.
A statement issued by
the ministry of social justice and empowerment stated that NBCFDC has signed an MoU with Apollo Medskills for the deliverance of vaccine administration training to nurses, pharmacists belonging to the other backward classes (OBC) and economically backward classes.
NBCFDC, managing director, K Narayan, shared that they propose to start off by supporting the training of around 1,000 nurses and pharmacists in the first batch and then explore scaling up the support further. “Having prepared a force of vaccinators is
critical and this training programme of Apollo Medskills covers every step from transportation and safe preservation of the vaccine to its administration and knowledge about monitoring a person after they are administered the vaccine,” Narayan said.
Apollo Medskills CEO,
Dr Srinivasa Rao Pulijala, told TOI that the upskilling module will include seven days of online sessions and two days of physical workshops as per the curriculum drawn from operating guidelines issued by
the Union ministry of health and family welfare. The course content has been developed in consultation with senior medical practitioners working in fields ranging from infectious diseases, immunologists, pulmonologists and critical care physicians.
Pulijala said they have already trained the doctors, nurses and pharmacists at the Apollo hospitals across the country and are now in talks with various state governments to expand the training programme. They have a presence in 24 states and operate 40 training centres.