On June 10, Neonatal Rescue’s team left to deliver 19 ventilators to seven hospitals throughout Zambia.
The ventilators were placed in large hospitals and small rural clinics in Lusaka, Chongwe, Mongu, Ndola, Kasama, and Senga Hills. Each hospital location displayed certain needs that could be met by the ventilators. There were three main areas of need spotted by the team: a tight fit, cost or a lack of equipment, and limited expertise.
A Tight Fit
One of the number one complaints at the Arthur Davidson Hospital, which is the only specialized children’s hospital in Zambia, was the severe lack of space.
Dr. Bwendo Nduna, who gave the Neonatal Rescue team a tour around the hospital, described the space as “very busy” and “very crowded.”
The NICU consists of three small patient areas labeled 1,2, and 3, with each unit having a capacity of five to ten patient beds that fit snugly. Overall the total space amounts to about the size of a United States elementary classroom.
“Your ventilators are better because you see, we can put it there and it’s easy,” Nduna said and gestured to a small space between two patient cradles.
A Tight Fit
One of the number one complaints at the Arthur Davidson Hospital, which is the only specialized children’s hospital in Zambia, was the severe lack of space.
Dr. Bwendo Nduna, who gave the Neonatal Rescue team a tour around the hospital, described the space as “very busy” and “very crowded.”
The NICU consists of three small patient areas labeled 1,2, and 3, with each unit having a capacity of five to ten patient beds that fit snugly. Overall the total space amounts to about the size of a United States elementary classroom.
“Your ventilators are better because you see, we can put it there and it’s easy,” Nduna said and gestured to a small space between two patient cradles.
The ventilator’s small design allows more of the space to be taken up by the patients, rather than the equipment.
Many of the other hospitals experienced a similar problem of space.
The ventilator’s small design allows more of the space to be taken up by the patients, rather than the equipment.
Many of the other hospitals experienced a similar problem of space.
Cost or Lack of Equipment
While on the trip, several members of the ministry of health accompanied the team around the country. At the Lewanika Hospital in Mongu, Wisdom Chelu from the Ministry of Health in Zambia, said there are many machines donated but sit in rooms, unused.
“We are trying to elevate neonatal care in the country,” Chelu said.
There are rooms with equipment piled on top of each other in almost every hospital because of these donations. This is because, as Chelu identified, donated machines break or need yearly maintenance that can be very expensive. One such task is the yearly replacement of an expensive item called an oxygen sensor.
Limited Expertise
The district hospital in Chongwe had about 17 workers at the training provided by Dr. Janelle Gardiner and Sarah Allred. These members of the hospital staff were hand-picked by a head anesthetist named Jackson.
Jackson has several responsibilities regarding the organization and running of the hospital as well as in surgery.
Here, the ICU recently opened after being added to the original structure, but there are not many nurses trained for the unit. Jackson, along with an ICU-certified nurse Rabecca Nyirongo, will build off the basic respiratory training delivered by Dr. Gardiner and Sarah to fully certify nurses for the ICU.
“I know after today, the people of Chongwe are in good hands,” Dr. Gardiner said.
The AdultLife ventilators at Chongwe will be used mostly with ICU patients and to assist in surgery.
Conclusion
Ten NeoLife and nine AdultLife ventilators were placed in Zambia in total. In the course of a week at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, four babies were put on two NeoLife machines, all successfully weaned. Two were discharged, one was scheduled to discharge and one was being cared for in the NICU awaiting discharge. The hospitals look forward to seeing what the other 17 machines will do.
