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 WELSH
health experts have started work to address the brain-drain
of African specialists leaving to work abroad.
The demand for trained medics in western
health services, such as the UK and US, has seen a number of
Gambian specialists leaving their native country, creating a
potential gap in knowledge among their colleagues.
A group of experts from Swansea have begun
work to install a computer-based learning module for doctors
at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in the country’s
capital, Banjul.
The trip will focus on podiatry and the
impact diabetes has on feet, during which the Swansea NHS
Trust and Swansea University team will be assessing doctors
and nurses.
It is hoped they will be able to encourage
a larger network of Gambian medical staff to be trained in
relatively simple procedures which can be highly effective
in preventing and treating the devastating problems of
diabetic foot.
By strengthening the health model for this
service, it will encourage more specialists to stay on the
West African coast to tackle the growing problem.
Foot problems are a common complication of
diabetes and minor injuries can easily become major
emergencies, as a result of the reduced blood flow
associated with the disease.
Patients with a diabetic foot, usually
have a wound as small as a blister which has become infected
and ulcerated. The infection can spread quickly.
The trip is part of the Swansea-Gambia
link – a partnership between Swansea NHS Trust, Swansea
Medical School, the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital and the
School of Medicine in The Gambia, which was set up in
February this year with support from the Tropical Health and
Education Trust.
The team of three includes Rosalyn Thomas,
Swansea NHS Trust’s deputy head of podiatry, medical student
Alex Werhun, and Jessica Griffiths, a learning technologist
at the university.
They will even be introducing an
e-learning package to enable the teaching hospital to become
a centre of learning excellence for staff in the smallest
country on the African continental mainland.
The module was developed earlier this year
by Dr Lamin Jaiteh, a house officer from the Royal Victoria
Hospital, who spent six weeks in Swansea working alongside
Dr Jeff Stephens and the diabetic team at Morriston
Hospital.
Ms Thomas, deputy head of podiatry, said,
“Diabetes is becoming a particular problem in this part of
the world, especially as obesity is increasing with the
introduction of western foods.
“And the culture is completely different
to ours, especially the way people access treatments.
“This is a unique chance for us to
experience healthcare in completely different circumstances
and spread the name and good practices of our health
services in Swansea.”
Thet is a charitable organisation
committed to improving access to and the quality of health
services in developing countries.
In keeping with the philosophy of Thet,
the aim of the Swansea- Gambia Link is for the partners to
work together for mutual benefit in priority areas
identified by the Gambian partners.
This long-term link aims to develop
learning partnerships between staff and students, improve
health outcomes and identify key areas of common interest
for projects.
There have already been several two-way
exchange visits by medical students and a group of eight
Swansea staff visited Gambia in September this year.
The programme is being supported by a
grant from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Wales for Africa
initiative.
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