News from Medical Aid Abroad New Zealand

... a non-profit voluntary organisation seeking to assist health work in developing countries through supplying surplus
medical and dental supplies and equipment as well as providing backup support where appropriate.

*NEW*

At left is a picture of the students in the very first Health Informatics Program under the auspices of the University of Otago. The initial proposal for the teaching came about while Dr Bernie Brenner an executive member of the MAA was teaching in urogynaecology at the Fiji School of medicine. An obvious need for teaching in Health informatics was identified.

Prof George Benwell and Dr John Gillies together with Dr Brenner subsequently visited Fiji and in conjunction with the Fiji School of Medicine, The World Health Organisation, The Fiji Ministry of Health and the Pacific Open Learning Health Net Computer lab, the very first Health Informatics module was commenced.

16 students successfully completed the Introductory module and most will be continuing with the post graduate Diploma course. Dr Brenner remains active in the teaching program.

"What can we say except a huge thank you for the boxes which arrived on Friday and which we collected yesterday.
The delivery was timely. This morning I was woken at 0030 by the ambulance driver who had come to collect me because Andrew wanted me to help him in theatre. For the last two weeks, the theatre team had done a "walk through a Caesarean" so I assumed there was a complicated birth. However it turned out to be much more dramatic! A man had got stabbed in the left flank with a long knife yesterday evening making a 7cm gash out of which protruded 70cm of intestine. Andrew had to operate and do a laparotomy as he had no option.
He intubated him and connected him to the anaesthetic machine (which the PMG anaesthetist had told him he wouldn't use as it was dangerous!) and I ventilated the patient for the 4 hours of surgery. There were 4 other nurses assisting. Andrew is in his third year out of med school and 27 years old. It was the first surgery of this type for him! Happily the man has survived and hopefully will make a full recovery. Now that the PMG has closed down its surgical facilities, we have to manage as best we can. The reason I'm telling you this is because we used some of the donations that we had unpacked that day viz: IV fluids; blood set; IV giving set; indwelling catheter plus bag; N/G tube (and another urine bag); redivac which had come in the previous donation; syringes; surgical gowns; overshoes; kidney dishes."

MAANZ sponsored a Radiographer from Swaziland to undertake specific training in New Zealand.

Michael Chilombo has many responsibilities in his hospital and special training in ultrasound techniques will be of particular value to him when he returns.

MAANZ intends to extend this area of training assistance to developing countries.