Monday 25 February 2013

Kahama Hospital - Labour & Delivery Wards/ 2013


Tanzania's healthcare crisis is acute There are approximately 1,300 doctors to cover Tanzania's population of 40 million - that is just one doctor per 30,000 people. The Kahama District Hospital has three doctors for around a million people.

On each One Person trip we recruit professional and non-professional volunteers to ensure that we are on track, to identify needs, distribute items and meet with families and organizations. Our medical volunteers work in the hospital and Dr. Glen Burgoyne assists the doctors in training the hospital's medical officers who, because of the shortage of doctors provide the bulk of medical care and perform medical procedures. You can meet Glen and the 2013 volunteer team on the Feb 10th blog.

Tanzania has experienced a substantial reduction in child mortality rates in recent years, but  according to the World health Organization (WHO) one in nine children still die before their fifth birthday.  Most newborn deaths are due to infections, birth complications and premature births, even babies who are just a few weeks premature often do not survive because of the lack of trained staff and simple resources.

Maternal mortality remains staggeringly high due in the most part to haemorrhages, infections, unsafe abortions, hypertensive disorders and obstructed labours. With your help - we can assist Dr. Andrew in turning these figures around in the Kahama Hospital.

The following is an excerpt from Pene's entry on One Person's travelogue on Planet Ranger  re. the labour and delivery wards.

Pene with the children from the Amani Clinic.

"Having a baby in Kahama is very different experience than having a baby in Canada. Typically, the mother arrives on the step of the L&D (equivalent to a large school portable) in active labour and is assigned to a very small tiled ‘cubicle’— similar to a large shower stall. In the cubical there is an old stretcher with a very thin, old, black plastic mattress.

The mother then proceeds to make her own bed by throwing down a large sheet of plastic followed by a large piece of fabric which she has brought from home. Here the mom remains flat on the stretcher, unsupported by family members, and minimally supported by medical staff (due to the workload) until the delivery of her baby. Following the delivery, the mother is up, dressed, and discharged to the next “station” (post-partum ward) within 20 minutes or so of delivery. Should there be no room in the postpartum ward the mom will wait outside in the courtyard, often sitting on hard cement, or in the grass/dirt until being discharged home within 2-4 hours post-delivery. If a mother has a caesarean section, she will be transported from the OR to a higher risk post-partum ward where she and her baby will be assigned to a single bed that she would very likely share with another mother and baby! Here she would stay for 3 days-- similar to Canada.

Although this is a very brief and general description, the consensus is that the Kahama nurses have amazing skills. Most nurses have two years education and rotate through the hospital to a different ward every 6 months. The six month assignments are determined by the Head Matron. In other words all nurses are expected to work in all areas and specialties in the hospital. What is clearly evident is that nurses are lacking equipment that make the nursing job easier and assessments more accurate. For example, IV poles that will elevate to appropriate heights and stand without falling over, doptones to listen to fetal hearts, neonatal stethoscopes for small babies, digital thermometers to quickly do temperatures.

As far as the mothers of Kahama -  we are all in complete amazement and admiration of the stoic, accepting, non-demanding and non-sense of entitlement behaviour these women display. Clearly, as much as we can offer from Canada, we are learning and receiving from this amazing community and hospital in Africa. "

To make a donation send a cheque to The One Person Project, 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z5, donate on-line or email me. (Denise.)

Saturday 23 February 2013

3rd Shipping Container Arrives in Kahama, Tanzania

www.theonepersonproject.org

February 21st. The shipping container finally arrives
in the 3rd week of the One Person Volunteer Trip
 
 
 
The container is placed beside the previous container in the grounds of the Kahama Regional Hospital. The only hospital for
a population of 1 million.

Friday 22 February 2013

Kahama District Hospital. Tanzania. Feb 2013 Trip


These two photos were taken on earlier trips


Brenda presents Dr Andrew with a $1,000 donation made by the community of Kaslo B.C.
and Kahama Ambassador Elizabeth Ross who took part in the 2009 Trip. Some of the funds were used to purchase life-saving equipment and supplies for the labour ward - pictured below.


4 resuscitation Ambu bags, 5 boxes of Hemocues blood testing kits and 2 delivery kits

Dr. Andrew and the former District Medical Officer Dr. Subi, have worked hard to transform the hospital and many improvements have been made but it is still a massive daily struggle. As with most rural hospitals and clinics in Tanzania there is a shortage of almost everything from medications, to surgery and delivery room facilities to doctors and qualified hospital staff.

In line with the UN's Global Development Goals, which Tanzania adopted in 2000 (the country had set similar goals as early as 1990) the government has dedicated almost 40% of its national budget to education, health and agriculture but progress is slow, especially in rural areas; the Kahama District Hospital is the only hospital for a population of one million!  

Dr. Andrew and his staff have an extremely difficult job, with a long road ahead of them, but the United Nation reports on Tanzania in general, and our regular visits to the hospital show that progress IS being made. With extra funding, resources and training lives are being saved and hopeful futures are being secured. We are so fortunate to be able to travel this road with Dr. Andrew and the community of Kahama and to be able to have daily opportunities to make a real and lasting difference.

Thank you to all our volunteer-ambassadors for the immeasurable gift of their time and expertise and to everyone who contributes to the continued success of our programs.


Click here  for pictures of the hospital and staff.

To make a donation send a cheque to The One Person Project, 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z5, donate on-line or email me.

Sunday 10 February 2013

6th One Person Trip - The Team

Back row: Dr. Glen & Anna. 
Middle: Twyla,  Dr. Andrew (Kahama District Medical Officer) Brenda, Nancy & Pene.
Front:  LeAnne

 

 
One Person couldn't do what we do without our volunteers, here in B.C. and on our trips to our two sponsor communities. (Kahama in Tanzania and Muhanga in Rwanda.) One Person members and volunteers pay their own way on these visits and after donating their time and skills, return home as Ambassadors who advocate and fundraise to help us provide long-term support, which is designed to lead to self-sustainability.
 
This is Dr. Glen and Twyla Burgoyne’s second volunteer trip with One Person. Twyla, Pene Berthelsen, Anna Toon and LeAnne Davies are RN’s (Registered Nurse) and Nancy Comeau is a psychologist. The medical teams assist in the hospital and work with Dr. Andrew to asses future needs. You can find more details on Brenda's travelogue.
 
This is Brenda's sixth One Person trip and her seventh visit to Kahama, Tanzania and Muhanga, Rwanda. Dr. Andrew took over from Dr. Subi (who visited us here in B.C. in 2010) as the Kahama District Medical Officer.  

The team will be identifying needs at the hospital, following up on equipment and resources sent and assisting with and teaching procedures. They will also be helping to unload and distribute the contents of the forty-foot shipping container, which will be arriving in Kahama during their visit.  

Brenda and the Ambassadors will also be meeting with officials and organizations and most importantly with children and families.