Two Liverpool-based members of staff from LSTM’s Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health (CMNH), recently visited the visited Panchagarrh District in north-west Bangladesh in March.
Terry Kana, a Lecturer and the Country Lead for Bangladesh & Pakistan, travelled out to assist with the launch of the LSTM Life Saving Skills Emergency Obstetric & Newborn Care (LSSEOC&NC) course in phase 2 of the Making it Happen programme, accompanied by Tania Vera- Burgos, Admin and Logistics assistant travelled out to Bangladesh who assisted in training the in-country administrative staff in the running and logistics of the course. The start had been delayed due to the political instability prior to general elections. LSTM works with the Centre for Injury Prevention Research in Bangladesh (CIPRB) to implement this programme.
The LSS EOC & NC course together with Making it Happen and the data workshop will be conducted in 6 districts: Panchagarrh, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Pathuakhali, Barguna and Bagerhat. Midwives, nurses and doctors will be trained together to improve their management of obstetric emergencies and instructed to improve how they collect, collate and interpret data. The programme aims to train over 1,000 health care providers by December 2015.
Terry also met with senior officials at the Obstetrician & Gynaecologist Society of Bangladesh who provide technical support and at the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons where the EOC training is also provided to Doctors specialising in Obstetrics.
Terry commented on the success of the trip: “Making it Happen aims to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity through the availability of the skilled birth attendance, working in partnership national governments, ministries of health and in country partners. Our visit to Panchagarrh gave us the opportunity to work with those front line health workers and doctors who are delivering care, a vital part of the success of Making it Happen.”