Reports of FOKCMC Activities

Northumbria Support for Ultrasound Outreach Project

 

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust supports new ultrasound outreach project

 

A team of clinicians from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will be visiting KCMC between 21st February – 2nd March 2008, to work with the Obstetric Department to develop a pilot ultrasound outreach project, to serve the rural communities.

 

Infant mortality rate 147: 1000 births

Infant mortality to HIV positive mothers 489:1000 births

 

The project team consisting of two sonographers, Judith Cobb and Pat Atwell and two Obstetricians, Richard Sill and Jaime Forsey, plan to work with Dr Mlay, KCMC Obstetric Department in order to develop the project.

Hospital records show that many expectant mothers arrive at KCMC without a record of ante-natal care and without an established due date. Without this basic information it is difficult for obstetricians to know whether intervention is necessary and  sadly some babies die because lack of knowledge of the gestational age means that the baby is not able to be delivered at the correct time.

 

Some women present at the hospital very late in the pregnancy with conditions which, if they had been picked up early through ante-natal care, would have been treatable.  

 

Discussion with the nursing staff at KCMC has established that many women cannot afford to travel the long distances required to attend ante-natal clinics at the regional hospitals. As they often do not know their due date the expectant mothers cannot plan ahead for their confinement and travel to be closer to the healthcare services for when their time comes. This means that a number of mothers commence labour within their village and if complications arise are too far from consultant help for interventions to be made to save lives.

 

The outreach project aims to address the two main issues related to infant and maternal mortality.

          · lack of accurate gestational age of the unborn child and

          · late referral to the consultant hospital for pregnant women with problems.

 

Feedback from the February visit will be posted on the website in March/ April 2008

 

For further information please contact brenda.longstaff[AT]northumbria.nhs.uk

Northumbria Nurse Training at KCMC

 

Sister Lillian Broatch, the Theatre Nurse Training Co-ordinator from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been travelling to KCMC for a number of years to work with colleagues at KCMC to address training issues in theatres and Central Sterile Supplies.

Lillian will be visiting KCMC between 21st-27th February 2008,  to deliver three one day training courses:

 

         Basic Theatre Nursing Skills

         Central Sterile Supplies training

         Train the Trainers – for more experienced theatre nurses

 

The courses will be open to all qualified nursing staff from KCMC and other district hospitals in the northern region of Tanzania.

 

If anyone would like to find out more or enrol on the course they will need to contact the Matron of Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre on matronsec[AT]kcmc.ac.uk

 

Feedback from the training courses will be posted on the website in March/ April 2008

 

For further information please contact brenda.longstaff[AT]northumbria.nhs.uk