SURGERY PROJECT
LOCATION
Pemba Island
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the Surgery Project is to secure the services of a surgeon for the Chake Chake District Hospital. The hospital requires the services of a surgeon for the period of five years while the medical assistant completes training. Additionally, patients with special needs from other districts will be transported to Chake Chake for surgical procedures. Without the support of the Foundation the surgeon would be forced to return to Unguja (the major island of the Zanzibar archipelago), where a combination of public and private activities would allow him to sustain himself, which is currently impossible on Pemba Island.Another objective of this project is to send expatriate surgeons for short periods of time to train local personnel and perform major surgical interventions on Pemba Island. During their stay, the surgeons will be working side-by-side with the local healthcare team to development skills through hands-on experience.
DURATION
5 years (2010-2014)
TOTAL COST
€ 150.000 approximately (30.000 euro for year)
DONORS
Private donors
PROJECT PDF
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The Surgery Project: Support for the surgical ward of the hospital in Chake Chake District.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
From 2005-2007 Chake Chake District Hospital was without a general surgeon. Prior to this period, the position was filled by a Russian surgeon funded by the UNDP (United Nations Development Fund). The area of the hospital provides services to a population of nearly 80,000 people, but for almost three years the hospital lacked a proper surgeon. To address this situation, the Ivo de Carneri Foundation launched the first phase of the Surgery Project. From 2007-2010, various Italian surgeons performed surgery for the hospital and trained the local staff in basic surgical procedures. Additionally, the operating room was refurbished with new equipment. From 2010-2014, the Ivo de Carneri Foundation, in collaboration with the NGO, World Friends Onlus, provided funds to support a surgeon at the Chake Chake District hospital. After much deliberation the Ministry of Health of Zanzibar has identified an adept Medical Assistant to start studies in medicine and surgery at the University of Dar es Salaam, beginning in 2010. After completing his studies in 2014 he will begin his work at the Chake Chake District Hospital, where he will train to eventually become the local surgeon of the hospital.
CONTEXT
The project stems from the serious lack of adequate surgical services on Pemba Island. The problem is mainly due to the lack of medical personnel in the hospital of the island’s capital Chake Chake, which has a service area of 80,000 people and a capacity of 143 beds. The hospital also offers outpatient services, with an average of 75 patients per 15-25 days, with peaks and high variability during the rainy season. The most significant problems encountered in the healthcare system of Zanzibar, beside poor infrastructure, is the lack of qualified health personnel (doctors and paramedics). As the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Zanzibar archipelago, the deficiency affects Pemba even more. With only one local doctor for an estimated population of about 500,000 inhabitants, it is necessary to request the assistance from foreign doctors.
