OkaZHI - A Friend In Deed!

Dr. Andrew Silumesii, Executive Director of Lewanika Hospital shares his experience working with OkaZI….

A common adage goes ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’. The wis

dom therein underscores the gratitude we owe the people that come our way to give a helping hand in times when we need help the most (and perhaps when we least expect it). Such is our gratitude to the Okanagan-Zambia Health Initiative (Oka

ZHI)!

It goes without saying that the health care system in Zambia, l

ike in many other countries in Africa, faces many challenges. Prominent among these are shortages of human resources, inadequate financial resources and infrastructure and an increasing disease burden. Granted, human resources constraints are alarming and have reached crisis proportions in terms of the staf

f-patient ratios, but there is also growing recognition of the need to build capacity in the current health workforce, that is, enhancing their knowledge and skills so that they are able to provide health care more efficiently, effectively, safely, competently and confidently. This is what OkaZHI is already helping to achieve in Western Province, Zambia.

Here is how it all started:

One morning in April 2008, a tall and slender gentleman, presumably in his mid-60s walked into my office unannounced. Aside his strikingly smart looks – clad in a navy blue tie, white shirt with a variegated neck-tie and neat grey trousers – I was intrigued by his warm personality; his sense of humour was conta

gious. His name was Bill Nelems, a thoracic surgeon from Canada. ‘What on earth has brought him here?’ I wondered.

Bill began his discourse by tracing his roots back to Africa, his birthplace, and e

xplained that he spent part of his childhood in Zambia where his father worked in the mines. He went on to say that Profesor Chifumbe Chintu (fondly known as the ‘father of Paediatrics in Zambia’ by the Zambian medical fraternity), was an old classmate of his at the University of Toronto’s School of Medicine.

This time Bill was back in Africa, because he and his colleagues back in Canada felt the need to contribute to the improvement of healthcare in Zambia. And I came to learn that Bill was directed to Western Province by Dr Margaret Maimbolwa, assistant dean at the University of Zambia’s School of Medicine, because she felt the need was greatest there.

That first encounter with Dr Nelems set the stage for the collaboration that was to develop between us and our Canadian counterparts. This is a partnership that we have come to cherish greatly, and one that has added so much value to our work as we strive to provide health care to the people of Western Province. Space may fail me to chronicle all that has so far transpired in our collaboration, but I must hasten to state that the main story really begins a little later in 2008 with the coming to Lewanika School of Nursing of two registered nurses, Jessica and Lianne, to come to teach there for six months. Accompanying them was Cameron, a science graduate who came to help the stud

ents with computers. Jessica and Lianne made a great contribution to the training of our nurses during that time, but more importantly they established the strong bonds of friendship between us and our Canadian counterparts that will last a lifetime.

Another major milestone in our collaboration was the bringing to W

Dr. Andrew Silumesii with Bill Nelems and Gary O'Connor from OkaZHI

Western Province of the Essential Surgical Skills (ESS) course in October 2009, in partnership with the Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS). This was a program in which over 20 health staff from around Western Province comprising mainly of doctors, Medical Licentiates and Clinical Officers were trained. Alongside the surgical training, a nursing component was also offered to our nursing staff.

The ESS course proved to be of great benefit to our doctors and Clinical Officers serving in some of the remotest parts of the province. In this light, we envision Lewanika General Hospital becoming an epicentre of continuing medical education in Western Province. All these courses have been based on the locally identified needs.

In March 2010, OkaZHI facilitated the placement of nine nursing students from the University of British Columbia-Okanagan School of Nursing at Lewanika General Hospital, where they worked alongside our staff for 4 weeks during which there was a rich exchange of knowledge, skills and experiences. Their time at Lewanika was very positive and it is hoped that each year we will continue to have a placement of students for several years to come. During this visit, a Collective Review of Practice at Lewanika General Hospital and Lewanika School of Nursing was undertaken and its recommendations have formally been adopted as a plan of action aimed at improving clinical practice and standards of care.

Our experiences with OkaZHI have been very positive. We see great opportunities for the improvement of health care in Western province through this partnership. We value the unwavering commitment of OkaZHI to this cause and the mutual trust and respect exhibited in this collaboration. OkaZHI is proving to be a friend indeed!

By: Dr. Andrew Silumesii