College of Medicine and Health Sciences in order to help its graduating students acquire hands-on experience on community service has organized 45-day in-field training beginning from 1st June to 15th July 2017, at eight woredas; 183 students and 31 instructors participated in it. Click here to see the pictures.

It’s learnt that eight groups comprised of students and instructors were halved into two of which one remained static at identified woredas and second was rendering on-the-spot intervention to community for different health problems and health-related issues through health centres.

Secha Group being static has rendered out-door patient diagnosis services to over 1000 & screened school kids for measles, assessed maternal-child health and immunization cases. In the field, awareness on health-related issues was raised; healthcare facilities inspected and hygiene facilities such as hand wash, solid waste disposal and deworming were facilitated.

At Mirab Abaya woreda, group in its cross-sectional study of Birbir town households found that in the last two weeks, 25 and 74 individuals had diarrhea and malaria in a month and they were treated at health center. Of 199, 198 households had latrine but 139 had no hand-wash facilities. Training on small-scale enterprises, first-aid was held and 142 kids were screened for malnutrition.

At Birbir, Delbo and Mole health posts, group established library, taught about personal hygiene at preparatory and secondary schools, imparted training on reproductive health, environmental issues and HIV, etc. The awareness campaigns, diagnosis and medicine in-take helped reduce malaria and diarrheal prevalence in the area quite considerably.

Having returned from the field, all groups formulated mini project proposals that recommend public latrine at Areka, library at Areka Health Center, a system for solid waste disposal at Humbo, Birbir and Arba Minch town Chamo kebele, distribution of ITN for prisoners at Jinka, public water supply system at Kolla Shelle and sanitary land fill at Boditi town.

Above groups utilized Millennium Health Center of Jinka, Kolla Shelle Health Center at Arba Minch Zuria, Secha Health Center, Arba Minch Health Center at Sikella, Birbir Health Center at Mirab Abaya, Tebela Health Center at Humbo, Areka Health Center at Areka and Boditi Health Center at Boditi town to render diversified clinical and community services to people.

With finance coming from AMU, governmental organizations and NGOs i.e. AMREF Ethiopia, Plan Ethiopia, AYOTEE, Wolaita Development Association, Wolaita Soddo University, IMC, Dubo Hospital, Christian Hospital, Hawassa Health Science College, Arba Minch Health Science College, Medan Act, IRISH – JINKA and others extended support for this endeavour.

(Corporate Communication Directorate)