Improving Access to Healthcare in Rural Zambia

Improving access to healthcare involves the whole community and it includes a variety of activities. So over the last three months we’ve continued to offer teaching about health issues, training of volunteers and practical treatments at mobile clinics.

Teaching this year has focused on practical first aid skills. Our team have run lessons about cuts, sprains, burns and factures which have all been experienced by children in the villages recently. We’ve also taken time for practical demonstrations of emergency first aid, including learning about when and how to use the recovery position.

Training has continued with community health workers from the villages. We recently gathered 23 CHWs in Livingstone for training. To help build links between the volunteers and the local health services representatives from Zimba and Kazungula District Health Offices welcomed the trainees. And nurses from three rural health centres were also present to support the participants. The new CHWs participated in sessions on malaria, nutrition and musculo-skeletal complaints led by our team of volunteer doctors.

Treating patients has continued to be an important aspect of our work. So during training existing CHWS we were pleased to welcome staff from four specialist departments at Livingstone Hospital who presented sessions on dental hygiene, eye disease, and physiotherapy. All those attending participated in training about child protection and gender based violence. Alongside the work of our volunteers in teaching and training some of the team have continued to work alongside staff from the rural health services to bring clinical services to some remote communities.

Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters for enabling this valuable work to happen.