A healthcare cooperation project in Kamuzu Central Hospital (Malawi)

Section: ArtículoEspecial

How to quote

Baquedano Lobera I, Gil Hernández I, Aparicio Juez S. Proyecto de cooperación sanitaria en Kamuzu Central Hospital (Malawi). Metas Enferm may 2021; 24(4):62-8. Doi: https://doi.org/10.35667/MetasEnf.2021.24.1003081749

Authors

Irene Baquedano Lobera1, Irene Gil Hernández2, Saray Aparicio Juez3

Position

1Facultativo Especialista en Pediatría. Servicio de Pediatría. Hospital Infantil Miguel Servet. Zaragoza. Cooperante del proyectoMalawi Salud2Facultativo Especialista en Pediatría. Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos. Hospital Infantil Miguel Servet. Zaragoza.Cooperante del proyecto Malawi Salud3Enfermera. Centro de Salud Torre Ramona. Zaragoza. Cooperante del proyecto Malawi Salud

Contact address

Irene Baquedano Lobera. Servicio de Pediatría. Hospital Infantil Miguel Servet. Pº Isabel La Católica, 1-3. 50009 Zaragoza.

Contact email: ibaquedanol@salud.aragon.es

Abstract

Malawi is an African country with 44% of paediatric population (<15-year-old). It is the country with the lowest medical and nursing qualified staff per inhabitant in the world, one of the poorest and with one of the highest paediatric mortality rates in the planet. In this setting, a cooperation project was set up in 2008, with the goal to reduce child mortality, through the training-care work by Nursing and Paediatric teams who travelled to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), a Third-Level Hospital of Reference, during some months per year. In order to optimize the paediatric care of the almost 3,000 patients admitted per month, different measures have been implemented at the KCH, such as establishing a triage system, classifying patients according to severity criteria, optimization of antibiotic therapy, and implementation of improvements in the management of respiratory conditions. In recent years, a dramatic reduction in mortality for <5-year-olds has been observed, particularly during the first hours after admission, as well as a pronounced increase in the life expectancy of the population. Paediatric care in Malawi (KCH) keeps progressing with rewarding and hopeful outcomes, providing an unmatched human and professional training to those Nursing and Paediatric professionals involved. The consistency and continuity of the cooperation project represents a major opportunity for the improvement of Paediatrics, child survival in Malawi, and training and development for all professionals involved.

Keywords:

global health; child mortality; international cooperation; Malawi; nursing; paediatrics

Versión en Español

Título:

Proyecto de cooperación sanitaria en Kamuzu Central Hospital (Malawi)