Chitambo Hospital Midwifery School Zambia Link

Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by Erin in Health Links

About the Link

This project builds on existing links with Chitambo Hospital including longstanding links between Scotland and Chtambo.   The hospital was founded in 1908, by Scottish missionaries, in memory of David Livingstone who died nearby.  It was staffed by a succession of Scottish nurses and doctors and is now a government hospital managed by an all Zambian staff.  Penicuik for Africa (PfA), a small Scottish charity, raised funds to buy an ambulance as a centenary gift for the hospital (August 2008).   Founded in 2005, in the wake of the G8 Summit (Gleneagles), PfA aims to make poverty history in specific African communities.  Chitambo is PfA’s main project and the charity has already provided diagnostic equipment and the ambulance to the hospital.   The Chitambo community has requested further assistance to re-open the hospital’s midwifery school which was closed in 1992 through lack of funding.  This request is  fully supported by the Zambian MOH as well as by NHS Education for Scotland (NES), a Scottish centre of excellence in health professional education.  The new Chitambo Midwifery School Project has been formed with NES as the Lead Partner: http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/

Fields of work

Maternal and Child Health, Nursing, Research

Current activities

Partners are collaborating to enable the re-opening of the Chitambo Midwifery School as a fully equipped, modern training facility by 2015.  Phase 1 involves a feasibility study of the training need at Chitambo, including thorough assessment of clinical and training infrastructure.  Integral to this is exploration of communication needs for clinical and training purposes.  Emergency communication needs between hospital, ambulance and outreach clinics will be explored in detail and the NES Knowledge Services are exploring potential for developing a Zambia –specific Knowledge for Care IT Platform for continuing professional education (CPD) purposes.  An associated abstract has been submitted to the elearning conference Africa 2010, Lusaka, Zambia (26-28th May): http://www.elearning-africa.com/ Depending on the outcome of the feasibility study, an Action Plan for raising the necessary  midwifery school resource will be prepared. 

Additional information

Zambia is experiencing a critical shortage of healthcare workforce, particularly nurses and midwives.  The Zambian MOH is scaling up nursing and midwifery training in rural Zambia (5th National Plan, 2006; National Training Operational Plan 2008; National Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan, 2009-2013).  This will contribute to improved maternal and child survival.  Zambia currently has one of the highest levels of maternal mortality in the world (over 700/100000 live births) and equally high infant and child mortality (approximately 37 and 95/1000 live births respectively). However, there is a 50% deficit  of midwives in rural areas (National Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan, 2009-2013).  Chitambo Hospital, Central Province, serves a scattered population of around 100,000 with around 500 in-patient and many more outpatient deliveries annually in seven rural clinics, many of which are barely accessible by road.  The hospital is operating with a higher than average 60% deficit in trained midwives. The once thriving midwifery school closed in the 1992 through lack of funding.  Central Province is therefore poorly served, and currently has no rural midwifery training facility.  Re-opening the school would provide a major contribution to reducing maternal and child mortality in the Serenje District, and beyond, whilst also boosting local employment.  There is strong community, district and ministerial demand for this.

Link requests

Goods
Midwifery text books; obstetric text books; midwifery training manikins; hospital mattresses (adult and child); desks; office furniture; desktop computers; printer/scanner; printer paper; data projector; etc.
Services
Midwifery/obstetric expertise to assist with assessment of training need; surveyor to assess communication needs

Contact information

UK
Dr Jo Vallis (NES – Lead Partner)
Research and Development Officer
Email: jo.vallis@nes.scot.nhs.uk

Dr Neville Suttle (PfA)
Chair
Email: suttle_hints@homtmail.com

Eunice Sinyemu (SCOZAA/HIV Scotland)
SCOZAA Chair/Senior Officer HIV Scotland
Email: Eunice.sinyemu@hivscotland.com

Zambia
Dr Miriam Libetwa (MoH)
Deputy Director of Nursing Services
Email: Libetwam@yahoo.com

Dr Tiza Mufune (SDHMT)
District Director of Health
Email: mufunetiza@yahoo.com

Mr Levi Chifwaila (Chitambo Hospital)
Charge Nurse/Tutor
Email: levichifwaila@yahoo.com