Better health in Zambia

by Bill Nelems

This is a story that will forever remain incomplete. How can that be?

The journey begins for the enhancement of medical and nursing education in sub-Saharan Africa, beginning in Zambia. The scope is so comprehensive that the real journey will go on forever. The need is overwhelming.

Imagine if you can that you are sitting in a crowded space. Fifty percent of the people around you are afflicted with HIV/AIDS, Malaria or Tuberculosis, the infectious trilogy that cripples most of Africa. Their collective life expectancy will be measured in months if medicines and care do not arrive in time. Now, how are you feeling, and what are you thinking about?

And what else in the way of medical care exists for the so-called 'non-infectious' diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, basic surgical care for trauma, obstetrical and neonatal care, and so on, you might ask? Precious little is the answer.

Fortunately, at last some monies are flowing to stem the infectious trilogy. Thanks to CIDRZ, the Clinton Foundation, the Gates Foundation and others significant players, help is on the way.

A clipping form the CIDRZ website reads:

How can the tide be turned in the battle against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in Africa? For the team of doctors, researchers and health care practitioners at the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), the answer is clear. A three-pronged approach brings both short and long term solutions.

Clinical Care is given to patients, using the highest quality services and practices;
Research is conducted using international standards, but always informed by local practice;
Training is ongoing, increasing the level of knowledge and understanding of both African and expatriate doctors, as well as researchers and health workers.
But what, we ask is happening beneath this mantle of infection?
When traveling through Zambia, especially to rural areas, we notice a desperate lack of basic access to the services and supplies that we so take for granted in first world countries.

We have begun our work in Western Province, at the request of significant stakeholders in Zambia. Most notably, it has been Dr Margaret Maimbolwa, Assistant Dean of the School of Medicine who has urged us to this province.

Our University of British Columbia - Okanagan has signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding' with the University of Zambia to collaborate on all matters relating to health.

With this MoU, our Nursing Faculty will begin to work with their Zambian counterparts on matters such as curriculm development, faculty education and access to world standard teaching simulators for all their students in Lusaka the capital city.

But from there, our major efforts will be to develop a 'Non-Infectious' disease curriculum in a multi-disciplinary fashion, nurses, physicians and other health professionals working together. Where possible we will link with other funded Non Governmental organizations (NGOs), and where new ground needs to be broken we will fundraise separately and write grants to funding agencies.

To date we have developed a successful linkage to the Canadian Network for International Surgery. Several of our members are now Certified Trainers for CNIS and we ran our first Essential Surgical Skills training in Mongu Western Zambia in October 2009. Our nurses developed parallel and complementary nursing skills modules. Next our family physicians will develop the peri-operative modules and then a comprehensive non-infectious curriculum. Support for these initiatives from Zambian partners is overwhelming. We also receive counsel and advise from the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research.

Already plans are developing for a potential national Zambia programme to commence in 3 years time based on our pilot experiences in Western Province.