News: New funding boost to improve Welsh health links in fight to reduce global poverty

14 March 2007, Welsh Assembly Government

New funding to support NHS staff in Wales working in Sub-Saharan Africa was announced by the Minister for Health and Social Services today.

Dr Gibbons said £50,000 will be available annually to encourage and support NHS Wales institutions and academic partners to develop and nurture long lasting partnerships with organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The funding will support the Welsh Assembly Government's Wales for Africa Framework that was launched in October 2006. The framework highlights the importance of continuing to support and develop new links with NHS Wales and projects in Sub Saharan African countries.

Health Links are long term partnerships between NHS institutions and academic partners, such as medical or nurse training schools, and their counterparts in developing countries. They can address different needs over time, decided by the overseas partner. Typically, they provide training, building up the capacity and confidence of staff in the developing country, plus necessary books and equipment.

Many Welsh NHS staff use their annual leave to undertake work in their link country and raise money to pay for travel expenses and the purchase of materials and equipment. The fund is designed to complement their fund raising efforts and enable them to expand on the work that they have been doing.

Dr Gibbons said: "Health Links have been a long standing and very effective way of sharing skills and experience between health professionals in Wales and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Welsh Health professionals can learn a huge amount whilst working on a continent that has just over 1 per cent of the world's health workers to deal with 25 per cent of the global disease burden."

This year eight projects across Wales have received a share of this £50,000 funding. One such project is the Dolen Cymru - Lesotho Link. The project works to develop the capacity of Village Health Workers to deal with mental health issues in their community.

'M'e Lebaka, a Nurse trainer and co-ordinator who welcomes the benefits of skill sharing, said: "The workshops have been really very good. They gave me the chance to explore in a relaxed atmosphere, knowing I am talking to people who understand, helping me to be productive for my colleagues and other people in my community."

The initiative has been fully supported by the Hon. Mohlabe Tsekoa, a Minister in the Lesotho Government, who describes the Dolen Cymru link project as "a source of hope for the people of Lesotho. It is one of the greatest developments that has come to us on a human level. It is an unprecedented example of how meaningful links can be….given our location and smallness, there is a need to hold another hand, however far away, to help make us feel we are truly part of the world, part of the international community".

Health partnerships have been given further support in a report published by Lord Crisp in response to an invitation from the Prime Minister and the Secretaries of State for Health and International Development to look at how UK experience and expertise in health could be used to best effect to help improve health in developing countries.

Notes:

Projects that will benefit from funding:

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) - Mbale Link (Coalition Against Poverty)
South Ethopia - Gwent Health Link
Swansea University - Gambia/Nigeria e-learning link
Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust - Ethiopia Link
Cardiff Dental Hospital/School - Uganda (Developing Oral Health Services - establishing an oral pathology service)
Angela Gorman (Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust) - Chad Link (Hope for Grace Kodindo Charity)
Julia Williams (Breast Test Wales) - Lesotho