The University of Liverpool and the Mersey School of Endoscopy at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital have been awarded funding under the Government’s Health Partnership Scheme to provide training in endoscopic therapy for Malawian doctors, nurses and clinical officers, to prevent deaths from bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.
Skilled health professionals, led by Dr Melita Gordon, at the University’s Institutes of Infection and Global Health and Translational Medicine and partners at NHS hospitals in Torbay, Blackpool, and Glasgow, will teach and assist their counterparts in developing countries.
Over two years, the project will train doctors, clinical officers and nurses who perform gastrointestinal endoscopy to give endoscopic therapy to treat and prevent active bleeding in the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum, using a range of life-like hands-on training models and equipment.
In addition, the project will develop new local trainers who can pass on these skills to their colleagues. Pilot training has already showed the potential of this therapy to prevent hundreds of deaths from bleeding caused by diseases such as Schistosomiasis and Hepatitis B in Malawi.
Funding for this project is administered through the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET).
