ETAT Course in Gambia

In March 2025, Kanifing and Farafenni General Hospitals in The Gambia successfully hosted an Emergency Triage, Assessment, and Treatment (ETAT) training course, aimed at improving the early recognition and management of critically ill children, each attended by 20 healthcare professionals from the pediatric wards, emergency room, and outpatient department.

ETAT, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a structured approach that enables healthcare workers to rapidly assess and triage pediatric patients using key clinical signs and symptoms. The training focused on identifying critically ill children and providing immediate life-saving interventions for conditions such as severe respiratory distress, shock, convulsions, coma, and severe dehydration from diarrhoea.

The course is delivered with the support of international ETAT facilitators from the UK, Sweden, and Germany, alongside national facilitators from the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), including one pediatric resident and one nurse from the pediatric emergency room.

The training was conducted in close collaboration with The Gambia’s Ministry of Health, represented by Kawsu K. Bojang, the Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCI) Coordinator.

To ensure long-term impact, ETAT will be implemented over the next three months at Kanifing and Farafenni General Hospitals. One international facilitator will remain in each of the facilities to provide continued mentorship, ensuring that the newly trained healthcare workers can effectively apply their skills in real clinical settings.

The ETAT training and implementation are supported by funding from UNICEF and the Stiftung für Internationale Kindergesundheit (Foundation for International Child Health) in Germany. This initiative is a key step in enhancing pediatric emergency services in The Gambia, ensuring better outcomes for critically ill children.