An Alumni Association has been started for doctors and nurses in Tanzania who have visited Sweden as part of the Life Support Foundation/MKAIC exchange programme. The aim is to spread the knowledge about anaesthesia, intensive care and obstetrics throughout the country.
A number of doctors and nurses from Tanzania have been to Karolinska University Hospital to learn from their Swedish colleagues, as part of the Life Support Foundation/MKAIC collaboration. Several courses have also been held at the Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam. But as there is an urgent need for more knowledge in anaesthesia, intensive care and obstetrics, measures needs to be taken to ensure that improvements reach all parts of the country.
– I want to make sure that the doctors and nurses who has been to Karolinska, share what they have learned with others, says Abel Mussa Ntungi, Aanaesthetist at Muhimbili, who has initiated the Alumni Association. There can be a lack of communication and therefore a forum to share experience for common goals is very important.
Abel Ntungi, who is one of the doctors who has been to Karolinska as part of the exchange, is dedicated to the goal of saving more lives through critical care in his country. He stresses the importance of teamwork and being able to plan different projects in a more effective way.
– When new courses are planned, we can provide information about the knowledge that is missing. We can also team up and spread to wider circles, making sure there is one station in each part of the country. We can initiate new programmes and make sure that this collaboration will continue for many years, says Ntungi.
When introducing the idea of an Alumni Association, during the latest course at Muhimbili Hospital in November, the response was immediate from his colleagues. They pointed to the importance of this initiative in staying together, encouraging one another and reaching the goals that are set up.
