#THETConf 2021 Speaker Series | Chris Carter
16 September 2021
In what ways have you seen Health Partnerships adapt to the challenges faced over the past year and a half?
At the start of the pandemic, our partnership published a THET blog regarding the uncertainty we faced and how we could move forward together (Carter et al., 2020). With resources being diverted from other areas to focus on the pandemic, we accepted there would be short, medium and long term consequences for nations, healthcare systems and healthcare workers.
Our partnership focused on nursing and as a competency based profession, teaching and assessing competence through a screen is difficult (if not impossible). Therefore, we took the only decision possible to provide urgently needed support for competency based activities and maintained our physical presence in Zambia.
In consequence, UK nurses rapidly trained nurses, clinical officers and doctors in the safe use of oxygen, infection prevention and control principles and Covid-19 treatment strategies. We have worked alongside our partners throughout, even when the going got really tough and are now openly referred to as their ‘all-weather friends’. Covid-19 has taught us how strong our partnership really is, and while the future remains uncertain, we know that our work will be sustained whatever the future brings. Our strength comes from surviving shared adversity, where they go, so do we.
Carter C. Mukonka P. Notter J. (2020). Looking Back…Looking Forward: the impact of COVID-19: https://www.thet.org/case-studies/looking-back-looking-forward-the-impact-of-covid-19/
The Birmingham City University – Lusaka College of Nursing and Midwifery Partnership has been working to improve standards of critical care in Zambia for over 5 years.
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