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Gambia News : Helping to improve treatment of diabetes in The Gambia
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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