Wales-Africa Health Links, Conference 2009, "Healthy Communities"

By: Pete Sonderskov

Ranger was privileged to attend the Wales-Africa Health Links, Conference in Cardiff on July 1. This event brought many visitors from around Wales and Africa with the aim of sharing experiences of working as a Link.

Links are long term partnerships between NHS institutions in the UK and their counterparts developing countries. Links respond to priority needs identified by the overseas partner. main focus is on teaching and training health workers, on building institutional capacity, training trainers, and helping to develop better systems of managing and delivering healthcare.

Our work with Biku Ghosh and the Southern Ethiopia Gwent Health Link has shown what can be achieved in a relatively short time when there is already a well established and run Link in place. With three eRanger Ambulances now operating in Ethiopia the referrals they are now making have extended the coverage the clinics have and allows those cases, where additional medical facilities are needed, to be treated. There is every hope that additional funding will allow the extension of this programme to more clinics across Ethiopia.

Attending the conference was the First Minister for Wales Rhodri Morgan (pictured), who referred to the eRanger Ambulance “as just the sort of lateral thinks that is needed” when working in African countries.