KOICA Conducts COVID-19 Response Activities Worth $130,000 in Central Senegal

Existing health project-linked quarantine facility maintenance, disinfection supplies support, and community awareness enhancement activities 추진

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Health Department of Kaolack and Fatick provinces in the central region of Senegal to respond to the health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

KOICA has been implementing the "Strengthening Maternal and Child Health System in the Central Region of Senegal" project as a five-year initiative from 2018 to 2022 in cooperation with Yonsei University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation. Through this project, activities to improve maternal and newborn health have been carried out, including the construction of health centers, capacity building for maternal and child health personnel, raising community awareness, and education.

This COVID-19 response support agreement was also made as part of the project. Following the agreement, activities such as ▲maintenance of isolation facilities within public health facilities and health centers ▲provision of medical and quarantine supplies ▲community awareness-raising activities using various media (radio broadcasts, public service advertisements, opinion leader education, outdoor billboards, etc.) will be continuously carried out throughout the second half of the year.

KOICA expects that this agreement will contribute to preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Senegalese communities and to the early detection, treatment, and management of confirmed cases.

Furthermore, the "Strengthening Maternal and Child Health System in the Central Region of Senegal" project has played a role in improving medical accessibility for local residents since the outbreak of COVID-19. KOICA, in cooperation with the Kaolack and Fatick provincial health departments, has conducted health education for 77 Integrated Community Surveillance and Alert Committees (CVACi), consisting of a total of 1,010 members, from the second half of 2019 until March 2020, before the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Senegal, to address community health issues.

After the outbreak of COVID-19, CVACi members transitioned into village-level epidemiological surveillance personnel, recommending and guiding visits to health centers when there were pregnant women or patients at home. In particular, as a false perception spread among local residents that visiting medical facilities would lead to COVID-19 infection, causing symptomatic individuals and pregnant women to avoid health center visits, CVACi members helped alleviate community anxiety and continuously contributed to epidemiological surveillance of suspected COVID-19 patients, visits to medical facilities, and the promotion of maternal health.

Nam Soon Lee, head of KOICA Senegal Office, said, "KOICA is working to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within communities in Senegal by linking with existing health projects and ensuring that essential medical services are not interrupted." He added, "The provincial health departments of Senegal, other donors in the region, and local residents highly appreciate KOICA's support for the local medical system and community, and we plan to continue additional support in cooperation with our project partner, Yonsei University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, in response to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic."