Southern Ethiopia - Gwent Health Link

The UK Gwent-Southern Ethiopia health link, in its two recent visits supported a lot, moving and better than the earlier times in kind and quantity.

The team on its visit in Nov 2007 purchased and distributed a more than 30 000 Eth birr laboratory materials for four exemplar Health Centres, in the SNNPR.

Where, the laboratories have been deficient in the materials and have not been serving the community in investigating different diseases to be done at the health centre level. This is a considerable input for the Health Centres, suffering from low budget allocation and inability to buy the laboratory materials.

March 2008 (3rd to 7th): A unique and rich workshop held in Hawasa, Continuing Professional Development training for the laboratory professionals in SNNPR, all in all sponsored by the link .Twenty eight delegates from different Health Centres and Hospitals including PRIVATES from Awassa participated. Courses on different relevant and important topics have been covered by instructors from the College, collaborators (JHU) and the link partners (David W, Pamella P and Pegah H). Refreshing courses on Quality Assurance, Infection Prevention and Lab Safety, Tuberculosis, Malaria and lab diagnosis , HIV and ART  services in Eth, SOPs, Basics of Specimen Handling and And what about the patient?, were delivered including some practical; materials from UK again. Books of Monica Cheesbrough Vol 1 & 2 have been sent to the Health Centres and Hospitals via the delegates. Glucometers have been supplied (Pam). Certificates of participation were presented by David W.  The CPD workshop has been colourful. Estimated 70 000-80 000 Eth birr have been invested on the CPD workshop for the laboratory.

March 2008: Health Centres in SNNPR are poor and lot others are poorer. Labs are not in reasonable control for material deficiency and personnel satisfaction, and attitude towards profession. Main friend of the labs, MICROSCOPE has been far to work well and feeling at ease. Microscope in at least the exemplar Health Centres have been old, not fully functioning and usual complaints of the lab technicians there. Noting their needs, and had identified problems in their visit, the link partners made a purchase of THREE microscopes each for the three exemplar Health Centres, a good HUMASCOPE microscope. The link spent more than 24 000 Eth birr for this. The Health Centres now feel relaxed to work and have somebody to see them. Time and things have been a shortage; lots of other smaller items would have been followed.

I on behalf of my colleagues here thank our friends and partners David W, Pam P, Pegah H and Peter Sampson, for their visit , and crucial on job trainings in the HCs and where they arrived, and idea exchange in between professionals and the College and Referral Hospital.

Nov 2007: A team of the link also had conducted training on Obstetric Emergency Skills, for midwives in SNNPR. The five day workshop has been successful, and was equivalent with the one held for the lab technicians, in its capacity and budget expenditure. The workshop had 48 participants from different areas of the region. The training would have an out put of enhancing the knowledge and skills of the midwives, promoting care related to Obstetrics and reducing further complications.

This time the link had also given TWO computers for each exemplar Health Centres, to facilitate office works, and for easier communication.

Moreover, on the March 2008th  visit the Health Centres had different donations: Delivery coaches, Oxygen concentrators, and many other materials to fulfil the basic needs of the Health Centres. As I talked to one of the Head of the HCs, money spent on this smaller items and equipments on this visit alone approximates to be equal to the ONE year budget for the HCs by the government.

So and so would like to thank Melrose (for assessing the health centres), Michelle for computer expertise and Biku for his visit.

This seems the beginning....wishing you all the best.

Misganaw