Scottish and Zambian partners had great week at Chitambo Hospital, central Zambia, from 4th to 8th September 2017. The First Aid workshop, designed and delivered by Levi, went very well. The 10 participants included ambulance drivers and other frontline emergency care staff. Facilitators included a top trauma surgeon from the provincial capital, Kabwe and a nurse lecturer/FoCH volunteer from Napier University, Scotland. The programme was wide ranging including principles of first aid; ABC (airway, breathing, circulation); wound management; blood loss and shock; fractures; burns; poisoning; chocking and much more. Classroom sessions were followed by practical demonstrations including simulated exercises based on specific emergency scenarios (road traffic accidents).
Feedback was good with the majority saying that the training had improved their ability to respond to emergencies and that they would like longer training in the future, with more practical sessions.
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| Post-workshop team line up |
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| Clinical Officer demonstrares |
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| Experienced ambulance drivers look on intently |
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| Ambulance drivers get hands on experience |
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| A willing 'victim' |
Please see our photo and video galleries for some more images of the training in progress: Click here for the photo gallery
We also had great meetings about other aspects of our project on strengthening emergency care communications in the area. Leaders of Zambian Flying Doctor Service (ZFDS) traveled all the way from the Copper Belt especially to meet us and discuss potential for collaboration on developing a Central Province emergency care response system based on digital radio communications. They say that this is the Zambian policy direction for emergency care and Chitambo District is leading the way.. ZFDS has other stakeholders who would be interested in partnering on grant bids. Discussions with the head of the Kabwe trauma service suggested similar interest in collaboration on grant bids.
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| Jo with leaders of teh Zambian Flying Dctor Service (ZFDS) |
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| Top Zambian trauma surgeon teaching on the First Aid course |
Other highlights of the visit included a trip to N'Kundalila Falls and Kalwa farm where 6 Moffats are buried (descendants of David Livingstones wife Mary's family). Livingstone's nephew, Malcolm Moffat, was founder of Chitambo Hospital.
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| Beautiful Kundalila |
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| Kundalila pool |
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| Malcolm Moffat, founder of Chitambo Hospital |
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| Moffat graves at Kalwa |
Jo and Bridget also had a chance to visit the Bangwelu swamps where Livingstone died. They took a day excursion from Kasanka National Park to see the famous Shoebills.....a most amazing prehistoric-looking bird which nests in the swamps. The visit involved setting off from Gibson, one of Chitambos remotest clinics, firstly in a boat punted through the swamps and then on foot, wading waist deep in these malarial swamps. We were rewarded with Shoebills but also much more....the beauty if the swamps, the strength and character of the people, and insights on alternative uses of impregnated mosquito nets..to make fishing nets! Surprising in this most malarial area but perhaps putting food in the belly simply takes priority over malaria prevention?
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| Punting through teh Bangwelu wetlands |
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| Creative use of impregnated mosquito nets |
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| Trecking to see the Shoebills |
The Shoebill tour started at Gibson, Chitambo District's most remote Rural Health Clinic. Jo and Bridget called to pay their respects to clinic staff and saw the new very High Frequency (VHF) digital radio, supplied by our project, in action.
They also saw the motorbike ambulance used by the clinic to collect patients from surrounding villages.
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| Motorbike ambulance |
Whilst in Lusaka, our team had had the good fortune to meet and dine with the Secretary General of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ). . She is a remarkable Zambian lady with a PhD on women in leadership within the church. Modern missionary, Ida, made the introduction. Ida is the Health Secretary for the UCZ and her husband, Keith is Education Secretary. Both do a huge amount of health and education work around Zambia, including at remote Mbereshi Mission in Luapula Province. Our team traveled there as Julie is researching for a book about Mabel Shaw, founder of the girls school there. Ida met us there, showed us around the hospital and school and hosted us with a very welcome lunch. Later we visited the magnificent Tumbachushi Falls and enjoyed a wonderful swim.
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| TumbaChushi Falls, Kawambwa, Luapula Province |
Jo's dad had served as a doctor at Mbereshi Hospital for a short spell, n the late 1960s, and she was able to identify the house they had stayed in, now in ruins but recognisable.
Consider drove us very competently all the way to Kawambwa, near Mbereshi, and back and we can't thank him enough for our safe travels
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