Short 3-day courses in managing emergencies in pregnant women and adolescent girls and in the newborn infant in Bong County
MCAI was one of three UK medical charities awarded a THET/UKAID grant for a ground-breaking project to improve maternal and neonatal mortality in Liberia. Read the Protocol here.
Between 1st September 2013 and 31st February 2014, alongside our partners ALSG, MCAI introduced training in emergency maternal and neonatal care (EMNH) for 171 midwives, nurses, physician assistants, nurse anaesthetists and doctors. All but two of those candidates embarking on the 4 courses each of 3 days duration were successful.
Read the reports here:
Each of the successful candidates on the EMNH courses receive the following items at the end of each course:
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A self-inflating bag and two masks for lung inflations
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MCAI's new textbook
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MCAI's pocketbooks of emergency care for pregnant women and newborn infants
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An E-Library containing up to date evidence based information on hospital maternal, neonatal and child healthcare including > 300 videos
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A logbook, to enter details of every emergency intervention learned on the course.
5 midwives and 2 doctors successfully undertook a Generic Instructor Course (GIC) and 3 were successful and became Instructor Candidates. An additional GIC course was held in the last 6 months for 10 candidates and 9 of these 10 were successful being appointed as instructor candidates.
Four instructor candidates (1 doctor, 1 nurse anaesthetist and 2 midwives) are now fully internationally accredited to undertake training on the EMNH courses.
The first 2-day course on training of 12 senior nurses, midwives plus one nurse anaesthetist in basic neonatal care was undertaken in June 2013. All candidates were successful and were given a package of job aids to help with their work (see later).
22 midwives in both CB Dunbar and Phebe hospitals received training in instrumental delivery.
Data for the first year of monitoring and evaluation 1st November 2012- November 2013 were collected and presented by Emmanual Dweh (programme officer for the Bong County Regional Health Team) at an international meeting in Sierra Leone.
Improvements to the Phebe Hospital waiting home were undertaken, including anti-snake bite protection and a telephone for expectant mothers to contact their relatives were implemented.
An E Library of > 300 videos, textbooks, manuals and presentations on maternal, neonatal and child healthcare has been developed and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNFPA and WHO is being introduced for continuing medical education throughout Liberia. Read here for contents of this E Library as of April 2016.
As part of an attempt to reduce puerperal sepsis, special sanitary packs have been designed and distributed in the first instance to expectant mothers in the Phebe Waiting Home.
Hannah Gibson (left) teaching Neonatal resuscitation
Full instructor Aaron Sonah giving a lecture on airway and breathing in pregnancy. Aaron is a nurse anaesthetist.
Skill station on vascular access.
Dr Obed Dolo holding a workshop on triage.