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Clinical skill labs, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Mengistu Asnake Kibret - GFMER Coordinator for Ethiopia

2021-06-23

The clinical skill labs helped a lot in peer-to-peer training and skill transfer.

Clinical skill labs are a practical and cost-effective learning scheme, allowing healthcare providers in Ethiopia to upgrade their knowledge on medical practices through learning from their peers. These skill labs also help form links between different woreda health facilities. In general, skill labs have proven to dramatically improve the quality of healthcare.

USAID, through its Transform: Primary Health Care project has established over 30 such labs, hosting around 5,000 participants so far. Aynalem Biniyam, a midwife with 18 years of experience at the Bedessa health center in the SNNP region attended a skill lab at her facility. This experience allowed her to improve her own skills and share her experience with other colleagues.

“The skill lab has been extremely valuable,” she says. “Responsibilities are now shared as we all have increased capacity, which benefits our clients in the long run.”

This USAID intervention enhances staff’s practical knowledge and skills in maternal and newborn care. “I don’t have to worry about being away from the facility now because my colleagues are just as capable. In addition, I believe lives are being saved as students practice in our lab before they see actual patients; minimizing their chance of making errors,” says Aynalem.