The month of December 2013 saw the deployment by UNFPA to Puntland of top-notch experts from the Institute of Family Medicine based in Nairobi to train local health professionals on basic and advanced life support in obstetrics as part of its capacity building program on improving maternal health care in Puntland.

The technical assistance was a remarkable success and was duly acknowledged for its unique focus on equipping health professionals with knowledge and skills  by the President of Puntland State of Somalia, H.E Dr.  Abdirahman Sheekh Mohamed Farole and members of his administration. The president was joined by Dr. Ali A. Warsame, Minister of Health, in commending the high level course on Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) shared to local professionals, and went on to strongly pledge that the commitment of his government to reproductive health issues will be further strengthened.

The training program took off by Initially training 29 participants (doctors & experienced midwives) on the first round training on ALSO who proceeded to sit for an exam ; an objective clinical exam, resulting  in the selection of a team of 12 best trainees. . The trainees then took the instructors' course and passed through related certifications out of which best eight were chosen to conduct training on Basic Life Support in Obstetrics (BLSO) to a batch of 35 participants who are recent graduates of midwifery and nursing. The trainings were conducted under the supervision of instructors from the Institute of Family Medicine in order to put into practice their acquired skills.

It is worth noting that the BLSO and ALSO courses originated in the USA and are promoted by the American Academy of Family Physicians. The BLSO/ALSO course has been adapted to meet the needs of thousands of practitioners across the world, from the UK to Haiti, Canada, Nepal to Saudi Arabia. Since then over 50 courses had been held in Australia, New Zealand and other countries, teaching over 2000 maternal health care professionals. The philosophy behind BLSO/ALSO is that women and their families benefit from standardized and multidisciplinary approach to maternity care. The procedures and approaches covered in the BLSO/ALSO course are easy to understand, consistent and evidence-based and enable health care providers not only to identify those at risk of obstetric emergencies but also to manage the emergencies when they arise. The BLSO/ALSO course focuses on enhancing cognitive and procedural skills of health care professionals to help them manage obstetrical emergencies.

In conclusion of the closing ceremony, the President of Puntland State of Somalia appreciated the UNFPA's outstanding work, also referring to the other successful interventions of UNFPA in Puntland.

Institute of Family Medicine:

The Institute of Family Medicine with its office based in Nairobi-Kenya is certified in conducting BSLO/ALSO trainings and instructors' course.  This far, it has successfully introduced the BLSO/ALSO Program in Rwanda and Cameroon and after a series of sessions the health institutions in the aforementioned countries are now fully fledged.