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Mauritania

Status: Completed response

October 2021: UK-Med sent a team of four doctors and nurses to Mauritania (officially called the Islamic Republic of Mauritania) in Northwest Africa.  

UK-Med were responding to a call for assistance from the WHO and Mauritanian Ministry of Health (Ministère de la Santé de Mauritanie), who were concerned about their capacity to manage severe and critical COVID-19 cases and the increasing rates of infection in the country.

Mauritania is a country mainly located in the Sahara – with around 90% being desert.  As the impact of climate change worsens, the country is experiencing worse droughts and that percentage of desert is increasing. The majority of the 4.4 million population live in the South, where there is moderately more rainfall so the land is less arid. Approximately 30% of the population live below the national poverty line.

The team of four had just returned from a three-month response in Djibouti, where they had been strengthening and increasing the capacity of health services to respond better and more effectively to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They brought these same skills and experience to Mauritania as they supported and strengthened local health services there too.

As of 7th October 2021:

there was 36,229 confirmed cases of COVID-19;

782 people had sadly died;

and just 0.5% of the population were fully vaccinated.

How we helped

Assessing targeted health facilities while in country and addressing any noticeable gaps where required.

Strengthening the overall capacity of local health facilities and national medical staff as a specialized care team.

Supporting the identification, screening and triage of patients.

Implementing IPC (infection prevention and control) measures and delivering IPC training to national staff (in line with WHO international standards).

Working alongside health staff dealing with COVID cases and providing clinical training and support, especially severe and critical patients in need of enhanced levels of care.

Designing and delivering training on appropriate escalated care interventions (or redesign existing materials as appropriate) in line with WHO guidelines and National Strategy.

Sources:

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