Housemaids will be given training in geriatric care as part of a pilot project launched by the Bahrain Red Crescent Society (BRCS).

The initiative will initially target Filipina housemaids who will be taught how to provide first aid, minor injury treatment and specific home care for the elderly, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It is due to start after Ramadan and has been instigated by a lack of trained carers for the elderly.

'I have discussed this project with Philippines Red Cross Society and we have got a good feedback from them to train Filipina maids in Bahrain,' BRCS secretary general Dr Fauzi Ameen told the GDN.

'A majority of the housemaids are not trained to take care of elderly people in the family and we are making them more resourceful by providing them with necessary skills.'

Campaigners for the rights of migrant workers in Bahrain have often criticised the recruitment of untrained women from rural villages, who have little understanding of what their jobs will require.

This has resulted in mistreatment of domestic workers by employers, some of whom withhold salaries and even assault housemaids when they slip up '“ prompting domestic staff to run away.

The GDN reported in April that a total of 563 cases of runaway housemaids had been reported to authorities since September.

Dr Ameen said he hoped the new training programme would better equip women for domestic jobs in Bahrain, as well as address a shortage of skilled carers for the elderly.

The aim is to train as many as 300 domestic workers every year.

'We have heard of many cases where families complain their maids do not have basic skills to do their jobs,' he said.

'It is important for us to target this vulnerable group, which is often exploited because of poor work skills, and make them trained caregivers or first aid specialists.'

While the project will initially target domestic staff from the Philippines, there are plans to provide similar training in future for other nationalities through tie-ups with the Indian, Bangladesh, Sri Lankan and other embassies.

The Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS), which was set up to protect the rights of the foreign workforce, and other relevant bodies will also be asked to get involved.

Dr Ameen said training would be provided by nurses who already work in geriatric care, adding that employers would be asked to pay only a nominal fee to enrol their domestic staff.

'Maids can help avoid problems among elderly patients, like bed sores, and if they are trained they can manage such problems at an early stage and avoid unnecessary hospital visits,' he said.

'We are filling a gap in the market by training housemaids in Bahrain through this project.'

There are also plans to expand the initiative through other programmes, such as providing safety training for construction workers to reduce the number of worksite accidents. – TradeArabia News Service