NHS Fife – Malawi Project

Project Background Sheffmed visited ENT unit in Fife Owner is keen to help in Malawi as was brought up in there Offered to fund reconnaissance trip by ENT Fife staff

Malawi Country of 16.5 million people in southern Africa. 1 ENT surgeon and 1 Head and neck surgeon. Based in Blantyre, the country’s main business centre

Medicine Malawi Medical school in Blantyre Surgery not popular – public health Main hospitals in Blantyre and Lilongwe District Hospitals in country

Staff Layers of “Medical” care Nursing Care Consultant Registrar equivalent (Medical degree) Clinical Officer (3 year course) Medical Assistant (less trained) Nursing Care Matron in charge 2 trained nurses 3 trained scrub nurses in general surgery

Needs Simple Bottom up Shelves – trays – organise theatre – more efficient lists Not fancy kit (microscope graveyard...) Maintenance: screwdrivers, bulbs Don’t miss what they don’t have We do not want to parachute in to do operations Surgeon very capable...

What we achieved Identified equipment they have Cleaned rooms and set up as ENT room in Fife Utilised kit they had Set up microscope room Again kit they had Gained a good overview of what they need

Proposal Malawian nurses to visit Scotland and obtain training reciprocal visits from Scottish nurses: implementation Malawian Clinical Assistants to spend time in Scotland broader knowledge and new skills. Malawian registrar to visit Scotland for training Perhaps Scottish ENT trainees to visit Malawi.

There is huge potential Enthusiastic, able staff: surgeons and the nurses are very capable. Unfortunately the juniors do not miss what they have never had.