The Tanzanian High Commissioner Mbelwa Kairuki and the country’s Health Minister Jenista Mhagama were among guests at our first Global Health event to celebrate the partnerships and collaborations established by our staff with organisations around the world.

Colleagues welcomed local, regional and international representatives to Queen’s Hospital to celebrate the work being done to improve health in a number of countries, including Tanzania, Zanzibar and Bangladesh.

It was hosted by Professor Gideon Mlawa, Consultant Physician in Diabetes and Endocrinology, who has worked to improve healthcare systems in countries across Africa including Tanzania and Zanzibar. He was also pivotal in agreeing a memorandum of understanding between the Zanzibar Ministry of Health and our Trust that was signed last year.

Guests heard how Gideon has run medical training in these countries, helping exchange knowledge and skills to strengthen and improve local services.

He is founding member of Tanzania UK Healthcare Diaspora Association (TUHDA) which has established projects to improve stroke care, neurosurgery, diabetes, and trauma care.

On his most recent trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar, Gideon was accompanied by Kathryn Halford,  our Chief Nurse, Andrew Deaner, our Interim Chief Medical Officer, Dr Mandeep-Kaur Phull, a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care, and Dr Manpreet Sahemey, a Consultant in Emergency Medicine.

Another highlight of the event was hearing about the work of Lunik Sardar and Dondorebarwe Sakutombo, two of our doctors, who have been improving patient access to point of care ultrasound testing (POCUS) in Bangladesh. They’ve done this by training 35 doctors and helping to open several POCUS hubs in the country.

Matthew Trainer, our Chief Executive, said:

We are fully committed to this piece of work. We will carry it on, we'll take it beyond this room and we'll take that energy forward with our partners in Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh, Zanzibar and elsewhere as we build upon this.

The event showcased the diversity of our workforce. Our colleagues come from 146 different countries and Matthew Trainer referred to them as the “backbone of our hospitals”.

Professor Mlawa pointed out that one in eight nurses in NHS were trained overseas and one in three doctors. He went on:

We know that most of them are doing something in their countries of origin to give back to their countries. And with this event, we are celebrating their contribution to the NHS and to their countries of origin that are helping to ensure patients are getting better care and outcomes.

The event was supported by Global Health Partnerships who have trained and educated more than 100,000 health workers in 31 countries in Africa and Asia, working in partnership with organisations and volunteers from across the UK.

Their CEO, Ben Simms, also spoke at the event:

I’d like to praise Matthew Trainer and the Trust for not only hosting this important event, but also sponsoring the global health outlook.

Global Health Partnerships has worked for 36 years on that vision of a globally engaged NHS.

We believe the NHS is an example to the world. How lucky we are that we have access to healthcare free at the point of use.

Professor Ged Byrne, Director of Global Health for NHS England, said: 

It’s absolutely brilliant to be here and I can feel the excitement and enthusiasm in the room.

This is not just about doctors. This is about people in health systems working in partnership to create long-standing change which is mutually beneficial. It has to be done by multidisciplinary teams, working together, in order to transform.