30th April, 2014 As part of the TRF supported project for capacity building of medical technicians of Gilgit-Baltistan, a ten day Training of Master Trainers was held at Peshawar Medical College, Prime Foundation, from 21st - 30th April 2014. The completion of this ToT marks the achievement of the first major milestone by IHS and Prime Foundation, and resulted in successful training of 12 Master Trainers, who would be conducting District level training activities for Medical Technicians in Gilgit-Baltistan.

This training was preceded by extensive planning exercise which involved review and selection of training material from TRF manual for medical technicians, and other sources, followed by the development of customized training materials focusing on following four themes:

1. Management of common illnesses that medical technicians have to deal with while performing their duty in primary level health facilities.
2. Carrying out common/minor patient care related medical/surgical procedures like dressing, I/V cannulation, catheterization etc.
3. Performing administrative and logistic work related to the job description of medical technicians e.g. preparation of reports, maintenance of stocks and relevant record keeping etc.
4. Practicing infection control protocols.

ToT was inaugurated by Prof. Najib-ul-Haq, Dean Peshawar Medical College and CE Prime Foundation. Participants were welcomed to Peshawar and the humanitarian aspects of medical care were emphasized by the dean.

The structure and content of the training was refined in consultation with TRF and also Department of Health GB during inception meeting. The training was thus heavily skill-based, including practical exercises, demonstrations, role plays, interactive lectures, videos and other methods. The knowledge and skills of participants were assessed at the beginning and end of each theme using structured pre/post-tests. In addition, communication skills were also formally assessed through presentations by participants.

The key trainers for this course included qualified and experienced nurse cadre professionals from Rufaida College of Nursing, Prime Foundation. These were supplemented where suitable, by faculty of Prime Institute of Public Health and Peshawar Medical College. For sessions on BLS and First Aid, Rescue 1122 team delivered a full day training with practical demonstration and exercises by participants.

The training was visited by Dr. Najma Lalji (Health Specialist TRF) on Day 6 and Dr. Abid (Coordinator for GB, TRF) on Day 9. Senior management of IHS was also present on several days during the ToT. The quality and comprehensiveness of training was appreciated by participants and visitors alike. Formal feedback was sought from participants at the end of the training, according to which all participants rated the activity as Excellent or Very Good on all aspects.

Acknowledgements:
We are grateful to all the trainers, staff members of PIPH and Prime Foundation and IHS for their support to the event in several ways.

TOT Training