St Francis Hospital, Katete, Zambia – NHS Borders, Scotland

Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Erin in Health Links

About the Link

This Link was established in 2009, though there has been a long established link between NHS Borders in Scotland and St Francis Hospital (SFH), Katete, Zambia since Dr Sandy Logie worked there in 1992. Both hospitals serve rural areas and are the same size with 350 beds each. Dr Dorothy Logie set up a charity to support the hospital after her husband’s death, and that now contributes to supporting the large HIV/AIDS clinic and the other work of SFH which serves a poor rural community of over I million people.

Fields of work

HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB, Maternal and Child Health, Primary Health Care, Reproductive Health, Tropical diseases

Current activities

Work in progress is dependent  on an exchange of  skills and mutual awareness between health staff at NHS Borders and SFH in the areas of:

  • Training of Labour Ward Skills modelled on the evidence-based Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine / RCOG (UK) training programme
  • Setting up a service for, and training in, Syndromic Management of Sexually Transmitted diseases, including couple counselling
  • Deliver paediatric training in acute emergencies to SFH staff
  • Pharmacy support and installation of ACSCRIBE software to ensure constant drug supply

Additional information

Dr Dan Clutterbuck, STI and HIV/AIDS specialist in Lothian and Borders, has visited SFH three times to set up a STI service linked to the hospital HIV clinic, which now has 12,000 patients on its books. This clinic works with the District Health Service, and rural health staff, to train and support in: Syndromic Management of Genital Ulcers, enhanced Syndromic Management of Vaginal Discharge, couple counseling, and HIV clinical teaching, according to  Zambian Syndromic STI management protocol.  Funding has been found to appoint a part-time clinical officer to supervise and monitor the clinics. Regular visit are planned by NHS staff.

Link requests

Funding to allow further exchange of staff, to purchase and transport equipment, and for medical and technical exchanges for clinical teaching.

We hope to  continue the liaison with SFH and to support  the hospital in general.  (A Mission and 2nd level government hospital).

Contact information

UK
Dr Dorothy Logie
Dr Brian Magowan
NHS Borders
Newstead
Melrose
Scotland

Email:
delogie@aol.com
Brian.Magowan@borders.scot.nhs.uk
bordershb@borders.scot.nhs

Zambia
Dr Shelagh Parkinson
Exec Director
St Francis’ Hospital
Private Bag 11
Katete
Zambia

Tel:  +062 52210/52344
Fax:  +062 52278
Email: stfrancishospital@iwayafrica.com

www.saintfrancishospital.net/