Southern Ethiopia - Gwent Health Link

Venue: Education Centre, Nevill Hall Hospital

Present
Sandy Holt- Wilson, Rev Michael Marsden, Biku Ghosh, Ron Bell, Peter Sampson (Chair), Sally Venn, David Williams, Catherine Novi ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), Dave Sanders, Liz Waters, Paul Harding, Melrose East, Alan Terry, Pamela Powell, Peter Smith

Apologies
Wendy Warren, Grace Thomas, Carole Garrick, Paul and Jo Weiner, Robert Williams, Peter Dale, Professor Helen Houston, Ian Mackie, Taz Hussain

Minutes of last meeting
Liz Waters and Pete Smith were present at the last meeting. The minutes otherwise were then accepted as being an accurate record.

Matters arising

• Dr Aberra will be going to India in March for approx nine months.
• A team of four, including Professor Houston, from Cardiff University are visiting Hwassa. A team from Hwassa will visit Cardiff in 2-3 weeks time.
• WAG funding – The money had to be spent by the end of the financial year March 31st. Consequently a revised plan was submitted. The Link was awarded £14,000 mainly to support visits. There may be money available next year. Biku is in consultation with Dr Yifru, Dr Aberra and Regional Health Department regarding identifying health centres to develop as exempler health centres.
• The Abergavenny community link was successful in being awarded £5,000 in the Gold Star Community Award. The project officer has been appointed. Peter Sampson and Mike Marsden agreed to be the link lead for this group. The next meeting is March 13th. They will start to develop links with schools. There is a possibility of linking Abergavenny with Yirgcahefe.
• Financial statement presented at the last meeting did not include some outstanding bills which have to be paid to THET. The oxygen concentrators sent recently will also incur delivery costs to the link.

Visit to Ethiopia
Six members from the link will be visiting Ethiopia in two weeks time.

The first week will be spent training the trainers aimed at the technical staff at Hwassa Referral Hospital and lecturers at the University. There will also be some environmental as well as infection control monitoring undertaken in the ward areas, operating theatres, water and oxidation ponds checking outflow and oxidation content, with specific reference to WHO guidelines. Paul will be working specifically with haematology and blood bank giving consideration to setting up a blood donor group. Pam will be working on biochemistry, looking particularly at the available machinery functions, maintenance and identify future areas of support.

The second week will be spent teaching BSc Laboratory students, focusing mainly on practical skills.

An interactive questionnaire will be used to determine laboratory management particularly identifying responsibilities. This will be a fact-finding exercise.

Liz will be using simple audit tools and surveillance work to determine when staff needs and educate re infection control. David and Liz will also visit four health centres and community councils to determine their suitability as exemplar health centres.

WAG Funding
Reported on.

Fundraising
Payroll giving – encourage link members , staff/ colleagues to join

Popular Ceilidh and curry evening was not held last year. With the starting of the new community link it was felt this could be an opportunity to make it a much bigger event. Looking at September time.

Grace Thomas (Consultant midwife) and family will undertake a sponsored walk (Ben Nevis) this year to raise fund for the link.

Grace sent an email updating the group on the possibility of taking part in a Welsh language programme about the Gwent Link. The journalist involved had moved from ITV to BBC and was keen to take the idea with him to his new job which he commenced on March 1st. Grace has emailed him and is awaiting a response.

AOB
Biku informed the group of WAG idea to promote links with Africa by holding a one day Conference – June/July. Biku will help with putting together a programme and Catherine offered a THET volunteer to help with administration.

WAG also want to establish a steering group to give specific direction in relation to their work in Africa with particular input from THET and the links.

Sandy asked if consideration would be given to ophthalmology in the exemplar health centres. A good eye unit exists in Hwassa with a good ophthalmologist. It was agreed that there should be an input into eyes in the HCs.

Ron and Alan updated the group on the Community Gold Star Award. There will be a launch in Cardiff in the near future. A project manager is in place. Congratulations were extended to the community group.

Melrose and Carole had recently attended the RCM Conference in Cardiff which was entitled ‘World Wide Midwifery – am I bothered?’ The Gwent link was mentioned several times throughout the day by Dame Karlene Davis, President of the RCM and Dr Brian Gibbons, Health Minster, WAG. Melrose and Carole had the opportunity to meet with Nancy Durrell McKenna who is Director of Safe Hands for Mothers and has recently worked in Ethiopia. She is keen to work with us on our next project.

Carole has an article published in RCM journal entitled ‘Links to Ethiopia’ – see attached.

Catherine will be soon visiting links in Ethiopia in Gondar and Hwassa Catherine reported that the visa situation is improving.

TALC and Band Aid have teamed up to supply Health Institutes with free books- one for every two students.

Peter Sampson on behalf of the link wished Peter Smith a rapid recovery

Date of next meeting - 1st May 2007.