Nurses' Hospital Visit
Will Save Lives in Africa
A Cheltenham charity is
broadening its horizons to help people in the
poorest parts of Africa. The Kambia Hospital Appeal
Fund was founded 14 years ago to support a hospital
in an impoverished region of Sierra Leone.
Now the charity has drawn up a programme to improve
medical facilities throughout the region.
Work has started on a clinic in the village of
Barmoi, about an hour's drive from the hospital and
two nurses from Kambia, have been flown over to
spend two weeks work experience at Cheltenham
General Hospital.
Frances Pearce, 46, matron at Kambia Hospital, and
Veronica Jarboe, sister for the under-fives clinic
in Kambia, will pick up new skills to take back to
Africa.
The two nurses will spend time on paediatric wards
and sit in seminars covering public health policy.
Frances and Veronica will give a presentation to
staff in Kambia to pass on their new skills.
Committee member James Dowling visited Kambia with
colleague Shona Lockyer, to assess the healthcare in
the region.
He said: "The hospitals in Cheltenham and
Kambia are worlds apart.
"It's cheaper to fly nurses here, than to send
British doctors to Kambia.
"So Frances and Veronica will be given the
opportunity to work with medical personnel, gaining
basic training in a way we can't offer over there.
"Healthcare in Kambia is vastly under funded.
"The population of Kambia is about 300,000 and
they only have one doctor.
"We urge medical staff from this country to get
involved so we can continue to train nurses like
Frances and Veronica."
The £10,000 development project will see a
dilapidated building converted into a
fully-functional clinic able to deal with minor
injuries and ailments.
It will be provided with a motorbike so serious
cases can be rushed to the hospital in a side-car.
Mr Dowling said: "The charity was set up to do
small things for the hospital.
"We've made a big difference to improving the
level of care there, now we're looking at the needs
of the broader community.
"Wherever you go in Kambia everyone has heard
of Cheltenham and they're incredibly grateful to
people here."
The link between Cheltenham and Kambia was forged in
1992 when an African charity worker visited
Gloucestershire.
In its last financial year, the charity provided
funds in excess of £75,000 for projects for the
Kambia district. |
