Humanity First

Medical Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 1 Summer 2010 www.humanityfirstmedical.org

HF DR Team in Haiti Uganda medical project Supplies Team Report Humanity First AGM 2009 Humanity First Medical Disaster Response Course Human Disaster Implications and Climate Change

images of Humanity First in Haiti

Welcome Message - Medical Director Humanity First Medical

tocontactuswithaviewtoparticipat inginfuturecourses. WerecentlyranournextDRCourseon June18thincollaborationwithourIn ternationalSearchandRescue(ISAR) colleaguesinLeicester Iwouldliketoreviewandreflecton therecentachievementsandstrides forwardtakenbyHumanityFirstMedi cal. TheDisasterResponseCoursecontin uestogeneratealotofinterestand qualityparticipation.Forthefirsttime lastyear,participantscamefrombe yondtheUKborderswithmembersof HFUSAandCanadaattendingthe courseinOctober. Wehaverecentlyrunaverysuccessful medicalDRoperationinHaitiduring whichcombinedMedicalResponse teamsfromtheUK,CanadaandtheUS treatedovertwentythousandpatients. OurplansfortheCoursecontinuetobe ambitiousasweaimtoreplicatethe courseinourthreestrategicnationsof USA,CanadaandGermany.Ofcourse, weshallcontinuetostrivetoimprove uponthecourseandencourageallwho havemootedaninterestinthecourse OurworkinUgandacontinuestogain momentumandweseeagenuineop portunitytoachievelonglastingand comprehensiveimprovementstohealth careprovisionstomanypeopleof Uganda.Togetagreaterunderstanding ofHFslongtermaimsandobjectives,I wouldurgeeveryreadertodownload theEmergencyMedicalServicesUpdate ReportandthePreliminaryAssessment ReportforUgandabothpublishedin 2009. TheAGM,whichtookplaceinNovem berwasanotheropportunitytoreview achievementsanddevelopmentswithin thelast12monthsHFMDandalsothere werenumerousinsightfuldiscussions whichwillhopefullyleadtomoreave nuesforHFtoprovidemedicalhelpand assistanceaswellasstrengthenties withUKhospitals,pharmaciesand otherorganisations. OtherexcitingdevelopmentswithHF medicalhavebeentheinceptionofthe HFblogandcurrentlyaHFMedical specificwebsiteisinproduction. RecenteventsinHaitireallydobring hometheimportanceofHFincreasing itspoolofvolunteersandstaffasanatu raldisasterrarelygivesoneawarning.I wouldliketotakethisopportunityto againthankallthosewhohavebeen involvedinHumanityFirstoverthelast twelvemonthsandencouragethose whoaremullingovertheideaofjoining HumanityFirst,inwhatevercapacity,to taketheplungein2010andhelpusim proveandadvanceonwhatwas achievedin2009asthereissomuch moretobedoneandsomanymorepeo plethatdesperatelyneedourhelp. Isincerelywishyoualltheverybestand lookforwardtoworkingwithyouinthe comingmonthsthroughHumanityFirst. Mr.ShahnawazRasheed

Editors Message
Wehavedecidedtoreducethenumber ofeditionsbutforeacheditiontobe morecomprehensive Itbecameapparentthatduetothevast amountofprojectsandactivitiesthat theHFteamhavebeeninvolvedinthe lasttwelvemonthsthatitwouldbest servethepurposeofthenewsletterto havelesseditionsbutforeachedition tobemorecomprehensive. Theimmediatedifferencefromlastyear isthesizeofthenewsletter,whichhas increasedsignificantlyfromtheprevi ousedition.Inthiscurrentedition, readerscangaininsightintothestrides thathavebeentakenintheUganda project,readabouttheAGMandalso ourspecialintereststorywhichison climatechange. Withthenewandincreasinglycompre hensiveformattothenewsletter,itis ourintentiontoprovideyouwithmore detailandanalysisofHFeventssuchas theHFMedicalteamsrecenttripsto UgandainDecember09&March10 andareviewofHFsresponsetothe terribleearthquaketragedythathit Haition12January. Asalways,thenewsletterteamalways welcomesarticlepiecesfromourread ersandencouragesanywhohave thoughtaboutsubmittingarelevant articletodoso.Ourcontactdetailscan befoundwithinthenewsletter. RasheedSarpong&ZakariaBhatti

Page 1

Volume 2, Issue 1

Humanity First Medical visit to Uganda March 2010

DrsHammadKhan,AzizHafiz,Mahmood KhanandShahnawazRasheedcontinued withtheUgandamedicalprojectfrom March18thApril2nd. stetricsandGynaecologyaswellasto 3rdand4thyearmedicalstudents. FromherewetravelledtoEastern Regionwhereweheldmeetingswith inSeptemberwithateamconsistingof MarkBryers,KalpeshDiyar,DominicMor gan,AsifHamidandShahnawazRasheedto concentrateonfurtheringtraininginresus

Theaimsoftheoverallprojectaretoworkon theTownClerk(Mayor),CouncilChair citationandtraumamanagementandcoor men,localMPsandRegionalDirectors dinateamedicaldevelopmentconference strategicimprovements,infrastructurede inMbalebringingthoseconcernedtogether velopment,knowledgetransferandresource ofHealthintheDistrictsofMbale, deploymentintheareasofEmergencyCare, MaternalHealth,NeonatalHealth,Chronic DiseasesandDisasterResponse. SironkoandBudakaaswellastheMu andtryandimprovethingscollectively. nicipalityofMbale(thesecondlargest TheneedsarereallyenormousinUganda towninUganda)andDirectorof thereisahugeroomforimprovementall round.Weareintendingtorunthisproject forthelongtermsoifyouareinterestedin spendingtwoweekstotrainlocalclinicians, itwouldbemostwelcomeandwouldmake

Duringthisvisit,meetingswereheldwiththe MbaleRegionalReferralHospital UgandanGovernmentMinistersOfPrimary wherewehadjointMOUssignedto Health,DisasterResponseandLandtodis continuewiththeprojectcollabora cussourproject.Wealsometwithofficialsat tively.Weheldtrainingsessionsfor MulagoHospitalattachedtoMakerreUniver clinicians(doctors,clinicalofficers,

ahugedifferencetopeopleinseriousneed. nursesandmidwives)inallthesedis sityinKampala,includingtheDirectorofthe Mr.ShahnawazRasheed trictsconcentratingonneonatalresus HospitalandHeadsoftheDepartmentsof

Formoreinformationpleasecontact:
HammadKhanhammad@hammadkhan.co.uk DominicMorganlffdmorgan@hotmail.com ShahnawazRasheedsrasheed@uk.humanityfirst.org

AccidentandEmergency,Surgery,Maternity citation,generalpaediatricsandthe andNeonatalMedicineandhavehadMemo diagnosisandmanagementofhyper randaofUnderstanding(MOUs)signedwith tensionanddiabetes.Sofar,Human ityFirsthastrainedover800clinicians theHospitalandtheseDepartmentsto workontheprojectcollaboratively.Also whileinMulago,weheldtrainingsessionsfor doctorsworkingintheDepartmentsofNeo natology,AccidentandEmergencyandOb responsibleforover2millionUgan dans. Thefeedbackfromthosetrainedand theauthoritieshasbeenexcellentand wearehopingtocontinuetheproject

HF DR Team in Haiti, JanuaryFebruary 2010

HumanityFirstUKmobilisedanineman teamofdoctorsandparamedicsfromthe UKonFriday22ndJanuary. TheTeam Consistedof 6doctors and3para medicsin cluding2 paramedics (UKISAR).TheUKteamllandedinPunta CanainDominicanRepublic,spentthenight atBavaroandmadetheirwaytoSantoDo mingotomeetupwitha12manteamarriv ingfromHumanityFirstUSAandCan medicsandlogisticsmadetheirwaytoPort auPrince,Haitiandtakeoverfromthe14 manteamthatwasoperatingamedical campinthecity.Thearrivingteamsidenti fiedagreatermedicalneedoutsidePortau
HF Medical Newsletter

Prince,hencetheymobilisedand startednewoperationsintheCarre fourareawestofPortAuPrince.Car refourwasclosertotheepicentreof thequakewheremanythousandsof peoplewerestillwithoutanymedical care.TheHFteamhadsetupcamp alongsidetheUNcamptoprovide medicalsupport.Theteamtreated over28,000peoplemanyofwhom Earthquake.TheHFteamworked closelywithUNwhoprovidedthe securitycoverfortheHFmedical teams. arevolunteers,providedfreemedical caretoallpatientsaswellascoordi natingwithotherlocalandinterna tionalagenciestoprovidemedical assistance.TheUKteamtookatotal

of1.5tonnesofessentialmedicalsupplies aswellasfoodandwaterfortheteam.The UKteamspentatotalof2weeksonthe groundandarrivedbackintheUKonthe 4thofFebruary. IntotaltheHFinternationalwasableto mobilise45cliniciansfromUK,USAand Canada.TheHFTeam,allofwhomwere volunteerstreatedastaggering700plus patientsaday;theirprofessionalism,team workinganddedicationtopatientcare neverdampenedbytheharshconditionsin whichtheyfoundthemselves. AmirMalik

fromtheUKInternationalSearchandRescue werestillcarryinginjuriesfromthe

ada.Together,the2teamsofdoctors,para TheHumanityFirstteam,allofwhom

Page 3

Uganda medical project December 2009 - Mark Bryers & Kalpesh Diyar
gressbytheUgandanGovern mentthroughtheMinistryof Healthandhealthworkersin thedeliveryofhealthcareto theUgandanpeople.Itisclear thatthereisarecognitionof theneedforimprovementat alllevelstodeliverhighstan dardhealthcaretothepeople ofUganda.HFwishestowork tosupporttheseimprove HumanityFirst(HF),avolun mentsandtohelptheUgan danGovernmenttobuildonits successesinthedeliveryof healthcareonalocal,regional andnationallevel.HFrecog nisesparticularlythegovern mentalstrategyofstructuring theprovisionofhealthcareina systematicmannerofagraded systemofhealthcentresfrom levelsIIV,regionalhospitals andnationalreferralhospitals. Wealsoacknowledgetheon goingworktoestablish,up gradeandequiptheclinical facilitiesacrossUganda.HF wouldalsoliketohighlightthe dedicationandprofessionalism ofthemanyhealthworkerswe havehadthepleasureofmeet ingduringthisassessment process. Duringthehealthcareassess mentprocess,auniformas sessmentcriteriahasbeen appliedtoallareasbeingas sessedandHFisgratefulfor theassistanceandopennessof theUgandanpeopleforper mittingaccesstosites,current healthcaredataandaccessto bothstaffandpatients.During thisassessment,assistance wasreceivedfromtheUgan dangovernment,healthcare providersandtheUgandan people.HFhascommitted itselftothelongtermsupport toUgandaandthisassess mentprocessistoidentifythe scopeofassistancerequired andtheopportunitiesaf fordedtoHFtosupportthe currentUgandanhealthcare system. Theteamhascommittedto producinganassessment reportandworkingtowards improvedemergencymedical careinUgandaaspartofthe newfiveyearHumanityFirst UgandanHealthcareStrategic SupportPlan.Inordertopro videthemaximumsupportto theUgandanhealthcaresys tem,theHFEMSTeamhave strivedtobeopenandhonest duringtheassessmentproc esstobuildtherightplatform forchange. DuringthevisittoUganda, specifictraininginBasicLife Support(BLS)andintermedi ateLifeSupport(ILS)was givencliniciansandclinical supportworkersinMbale (MunicipalityandDistrict), BudakaandSironkoresponsi bleforapopulationofover onemillionpeople.Inaddi tion,advisorymeetingswere heldwithpoliticaladmedical administratorsregarding emergencymedicalcarepro vision HFrecognisesthefunding challengesthatexistwithin Ugandaandthispreliminary reportsetsoutaspirational goalswhichweacceptmaybe difficulttoachievewithcur rentfundinglevelsandwithin thepresentworldfinancial climate.

Theteamhas committedto producingan assessmentreportand workingtowards improvedemergency medicalcareinUganda aspartofthenewfive yearHumanityFirst UgandanHealthcare StrategicSupport Plan.

tary,nonpolitical,non religiousandindependentUK basedinternationalcharity, hasundertakenanassess mentofneedsacrossspeci fiedareasofthecurrent healthcareprovisionsystem atnational,districtandrural levelsinUgandaandengaged inaspecificprogrammeto improvehealthservices acrossfivespecificclinical areas:EmergencyCare,Ma ternalHealth,Neonatal Health,ChronicDiseasesand DisasterResponse. TheHFEmergencyMedical ServicesMedicalTeamcon sistedofMarkBryersand KalpeshDiyar.Formalassess mentvisitsweremadetothe Emergency(Casualty)Depart mentatMulagoHospital,the CasualtyDepartmentatMbale ReferralHospital,TheAhmadi yyaHospital,Mbaleandvari ousHealthCentres(HCs)III andIVintheMbaleMunicipal ityandDistrictaswellasinthe DistrictsofSironkoandBu daka,EasternRegion,Uganda. Inadditiontothesevisits,the policeforceresponsetomedi calincidentswasassessed. TheEMSteamrecogniseand supportfullythegreatpro

Page 4

Volume 2, Issue 1

Itisalsorecognisedthatthe UgandanMinistryofHealth havelaidoutacomprehen sivestrategicplanconsistent withtheMDGswhichare alsoconstrainedbyfunding limitations.TheHFplanaims toformulatecreativesolu tionstoproviderealprogress withstrategicorganisational planninganddissemination ofknowledge.HFcallson specialistexpertsfrommany countrieshealthservicesto developstrategicthinking withaviewtoimproving Ugandanhealthprovision. Thisreportdescribesthe administrativeandtraining elementsoftheworkunder takenduringtherecentvisit toUganda. Anyprogrammetoenhance theUgandanhealthservice willrequireaconcertedand

committedeffortonthepart ofallpartiesinvolved.The challengethatfacesusallis howdodeliverthechanges thatwillsupportthecurrent internaldrivebytheUgan danHealthMinistrytoraise standardsacrossthehealth sector.Todeliverexcellence inhealthcaretothewhole countryisasubstantialtask andwillrequiretheopportu nitytoseethesenew changesandenhancesystem inpracticeandworkingin oneareafirst.Theimplemen tationoftheproposed changescontainedwithin thisreport,includingthe adoptioncurrentUKguide lines(basedoninternational standards)intohealthcen tresandfurtherenhance mentsintohospitalcasualty departmentswithinonese

lectregioncan demonstrate thesystem working.This reportpro poseschanges inthetown, regionanddis trictsofMbale, Sironkoand Budaka. MarkBryers
mark.bryers@uk.humanityfirst.org

KalpeshDiyar
kalpesh.diyar@lfrs.org

Page 5

Volume 2, Issue 1

Humanity First AGM 2009

HumanityFirstMedicalheld itsfirstannualgeneralmeet ingattheGlenisterbuilding, ImperialCollegeinCharing CrossHospitalCampuson theafternoonofSaturday, 7 ofNovember2009.40 peoplewereinattendance. Ithasbeenasupremelyac tiveyearforHumanityFirst medicalUKaswehavenow offeredourmedicalservices inUganda.Inaddition,the firsttwodisasterresponse courseswereorganisedin 2009.Wecontinuetoremain ongreenalert(standby)for anyemergencieswhichmay occur. Theparticipantsactivelycon
th

tributedtothediscussions.Our futurevisitstoUgandawillcon tinuein2010.Theimportanceof provisionofmedicinesinaman nerthatwoulddirectlybenefit theneedyinUgandawasdis cussed.Severalusefulsugges

tolearnfromourexperiences andevolveinamoreeffective unitwithtime.Asalways,we remainverygratefulforevery onessupportandsharing theirthoughtswithus.

Althoughthereisnoformal tionsweremadeduringthetalks. iseddateatthisstage,we Wealsodiscussedourplansto expecttoholdoursecond holdoneofthedisasterresponse annual coursesataninternationalsite general (outofUK)in2010. Wearepleasedtowelcomenew comersassomeparticipantsof theAGMexpressedawishto volunteerandjointheHumanity First. WewisheverysuccessforHu manityFirstMedicalin2010,and aswecontinuetogrowwehope meet ing around Novem ber 2010. NadeemAhmadAfzal

Ihaveattended manycoursesbutthis wasreallyfantastic, arguablythebest courseIhaveever beenon CourseAttendee

Humanity First Medical Disaster Response Course October 2009

Itisouraim,forHumanity Firsttobecometheworld leaderindisasterresponse medicine.Thepurposeofthis courseistotrainmedicaland logisticalsupportstaffindis asterresponsemedicalprac ticeconsistentwithbestinter nationalstandardsandhu membersofanHFMedical ResponseTeamfollowingan internationaldisaster. HumanityFirstFacultymem bersarehighlytrainedand experiencedmedics,para medicsandnonmedicswho inthishighlyintensiveand interactiveCoursetoatten dees.HumanityFirstheldits secondMedicalDisasterRe sponseCourseincollabora tionwiththeInternational SearchandRescue(ISAR)
HF Medical Newsletter

TeaminLeicesterfromOcto ber911th2009.Therewere12 facultymembersand20atten deesincluding2representa tivesfromHFUSAand2from HFCanada.Thecourseteaches thehighestpossiblelevelof evidencedbasedpracticein theareasofdisasterclassifica strategy,safetyandrisk,triage ofmultiplecasualties,public health,campmanagement, medicalresponseteamprepa ration,medicalmanagement, paediatrics,surgicalandortho paedicmanagement.Aswell emphasisisplacedondealing withpatientswithprofession alism,courtesyandkindness andworkinginclosecollabora tionwithlocalcommunities, nationalcoordinatingauthori tiesandinternationalbodies.

Thecourseincorporatestaught lectureswithdisasterresponse exercisesinwhichactorsplay ingcasualtieswithrelevant injuriesareused,asaremem bersoftheISARteamtomake scenariosasrealaspossible.In addition,trainingisgivenin publicrelationsandbriefings tootheragenciesandtheme dia.Thefirstdaywasheldin theHiltonHotel, theseconddayat SouthernFireSta tionandthethird dayinacampsitein MeltonMowbray. Itisplannedtorun thisCourseinthe US,Canadaand Indonesianextyear andagaininthe UK. NadeemAhmadAfzal

manitarianprinciplestojoinas tion,assessment,deployment

aimtoimparttheirknowledge asformalteachingtheseareas,

Page 6

Human Disaster Implications and Climate Change

Theissuesurroundingtheveracityofclimatechangeisahotlydebatedtopicwithstrongopinionsandarguments onbothsidesofthedebate. However,ifonetakesthevantagepointthatclimatechangeisandwillcontinuetohaveamarkedlyadverseeffect ontheearthsweatherpatterns,whatimplicationswouldthishaveontherelatedissueofweatherinducedhu manitariandisasters? AccordingtotheOfficefortheCoordinationofHumanitarianAffairs(OCHA),thereisexpectedtobeanincreasein theintensity,frequency,durationandextentofweatherrelatedhazardsinthefuture.Moreover,theUNInterna tionalStrategyforDisasterReduction(ISDR)hasstatedthatby2100: Theglobalaveragesurfacewarming(surfaceairtemperaturechange),willincreaseby1.16.4degreesCelsius; Thesealevelwillrisebetween18and59cm;and Itisverylikelythathotextremes,heatwavesandheavyprecipitationwillbecomemorefrequent. Ofgreatconcernisthatthelocationoftheseweatherextremesarenotexpectedtochangetheirlocationfrom theareasintheworldwheretheycurrentlyoccurmostoften.TheseareasincludeAfrica,particularlySahel,Horn ofAfricaandCentralAfrica;CentralandSouthAsia(particularlyIran,Afghanistan,Pakistan,IndiaandtheCaspian region;andSoutheastAsia(inparticular,Indonesia,Myanmar,LaosandCambodia). Itisimportanttonotethatmanyofthecountrieslistedaboveareconsideredhotspotsformorethanoneofthe extremeweathertypesandthusanincreaseintheoccurrenceandintensityofanyofthesehazardswouldhave profoundeffectsontheinfrastructure,economy,andhumancost. AccordingtoOCHA,thereisathreeprongedapproachtodealwiththispertinentissue.OCHAstatesthatthere mustfirstlybeaunifiedglobalefforttoeffectareductionintheseaforementionedrisks.Itissaidthatwhatisre quiredisaunifiedcommitmenttoreducinggreenhousegases,educatepeopletohelpadapttochangingweather systemsaswellasinvestmentinriskreduction. Althoughthereisarecognitionthatallcountrieshavearesponsibilitytoreducetheriskofweatherinduceddisas ters,itissaidthatpoorerandhotspotcountriesneedmoresupportandinvestmentindisasterresponsereduc tion.Thisisinterlinkedwiththeneedformorecomprehensiveandcoordinatedtransferofknowledgeinthis sphere. AftertheTsunamiofDecember2004,manyadvocatedthatamorecomprehensive,coordinatedearlywarning systemcouldhavehelpedsaveasignificantnumberoflives.Moreover,OCHAhavestatedthatitisnecessaryfor futuredisasterreductionthatawidespreadandimprovedclimatemonitoringtechnologyisinplacegloballyin ordertoimproveforecastreliability. Itisarguedbysomequartersthataneffectivedisasterresponseinthefuturecannotberealisedthisargument andthatthemerefactthatthereisanincreaseinextremeweatherconditionsmakesclimatechangeofimpor tanceinthefieldofdisasterresponseregardlessofanyscientificargumentsoverhumaninducedclimatechange.

RasheedSarpong Contactusbyvisiting www.humanityfirstmedical.org Youcandonate,volunteer,andapplytoattendthedisaster responsecourseorsimplyregisteryourinterestonthe website YouwillbewelcomeandareinvitedtoattendournextAGM atPostgraduatecentre,CharingCrossHospital,Londonin November2010

Page 7 Volume 2, Issue 1

HF Medical Supplies Team Report

Therehavebeenanumber ofexcitingdevelopmentsin thelastfewmonthsinthe suppliesdepartment. Havingbeenbusyarranging deliveryof3tonnesofmedi calaidlastyear,thesupplies teamhasjustrearrangedthe storagefacilitiesintheHu manityFirstwarehouseand hadsomebrandnewshelv ingputintothemainware houseinordertoalloweasier andmoreorderedstorageof medicalequipment. sponsecourse. Currentlyweareintheproc essofrevisingthemedical andnonmedicalemergency expeditionsupplieslist, whichallowsustolookat themorecuttingedgetech nologiesavailableandwel comeallviews. Thesuppliesdepartmentaim tousethebestevidence basedmedicalandnon medicalequipmentinorder toallowthedisasterre sponseteamtotreatas manypatientsaspossible withthegreatestcareas quicklyandefficientlyas possible. Theaim,aswithallofHu manityFirstswork,isto maintainthehigheststan dardsconsistentwithbest currentpracticeandtokeep withintheguidelinesofthe Sphereproject. Wearestillreliantonthe goodwillofourmedicalcol leaguestohelpoutand wouldnowliketoalsothank thenewernonmedicalvol unteerswhohaveworked withusmorerecentlyaswell asourmedicalvolunteers. Wewouldalsoliketothank Mr.BashirSharifforhishelp withthewarehouse. SuppliesTeam DrFaisalAhmed
fahmed@uk.humanityfirst.org

Weneedyourhelp
Youcanvolunteerby emailing or usingthecontactform onthewebsite

Inadditionthedepartment willnotbeacceptingany moremedicinedonationsfor thetimebeing,butinstead willbeconcentratingonall othermedicalandnon medicalitems.Thedepart mentwillbedoingitsbestto providesuppliesforthe Ugandantripsthisyearand ofcoursethedisasterre

DrAsifHamid
asif.hamid@uk.humanityfirst.org

DrNoorAhmad
noor@uk.humanityfirst.org

22 Deer Park Road, South Wimbledon London SW19 3AH Tel: +44 (0)20 8417 0082 Fax: +44 (0)20 8417 0110

www.humanityfirstmedical.org
HF Medical Newsletter Page 7