Evacuating Katutura Hospital
Even patients that are not critically ill, took part in the evacuation exercise at the Katutura State Hospital earlier this week.
In the week prior and during the previous weekend, staff members, nurses and doctors were trained by ATA International in fire fighting and evacuation planning.
In total, 48 staff members of the hospital were trained. The training took place at ATA International Namibia’s training centre in Windhoek. During the training programme the importance of fire safety and clear planning for an evacuation became evident. The delegates received a theoretical overview in addition to the practical use of fire extinguishers, water hoses and the actual evacuation of smaller groups. “The training and practical exercises with ATA International served to increase safety and preparedness in the case of emergencies, being the first of its kind in a long time” said Superintendent Dr Amagulu.
“The evacuation simulation started promptly at 08:00 in the morning, where actual evacuation happened ward by ward so as not to interrupt the daily routine too much and to allow for the care of patients where necessary” said Fabian Martens, the Operations Manager of ATA International. “Not only nurses and staff members took part in this exercise, also more than 50 non-critical patients were evacuated. In order to be effective, it is important that the exercise is as realistic as possible” said Dr Amagulu noting that “Particularly the children in the Paediatric Ward on the 8th floor were very excited about the evacuation exercise”.
“All participants took this exercise very seriously as demonstrated by the evacuation times of the different wards” said Jessica Beukes, the Health and Safety Specialist of ATA International Training. The Acute Care Ward was also part of the exercise. The nurses had to evacuate a simulated patient from the ward, including all intensive care equipment.
