MMUST, Malteser International and Kenya Council of Emergency Medical Technicians teams at the Vice Chancellor’s office.
Delegates from Malteser International (MI) have today, 16th August, 2023, paid a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Solomon Shibairo, to discuss the ongoing projects between the two (2) organizations, specifically the refurbishment and equipment of the University’s high-fidelity simulation laboratory, under the Upesi Health Project. The meeting, also attended by the project leader-Dr. Tecla Sum, revealed that Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology is home to the second largest state of the art simulation center in Kenya.
The delegates were accompanied by a team from the Kenya Council of Emergency Medical Technicians (KCEMT), which is currently facilitating Basic Life Support (BLS), and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) training at MMUST. The week-long training has been funded by MI and is aimed at ensuring a standardized curriculum for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). It targets hospitals in Kakamega, Kisumu, Nairobi and Machakos Counties, where students undertake clinical placements.
MMUST and Kakamega County General Teaching and Referral Hospital EMS staff undergo a practical session on day 1 of the BLS and ACLS training.
“MMUST is currently the only University in East and Central Africa offering the Paramedicine programme. Trauma and emergency care remains a major concern worldwide, especially in developing countries, hence the establishment of this course,” stated Dr. Sum during an interview with MMUST media. She said that the University has partnered with MI to train key players in emergency services, adding that the training shall be executed in three (3) phases. “After the BLS and ACLS training, we will proceed to Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS), as well as Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training. The final stage will be to evaluate patient outcomes and students’ skill set,” said the trauma and emergency medicine expert.
Project Officer at Malteser International, Mr. Robert Pampula, pointed out that MI seeks to improve the Emergency Medical Services around the world. “We envision a fully-functioning prehospital care system and to achieve this, we are assisting County Governments to bridge EMS gaps and supporting them in terms of infrastructure as well as capacity building. We are using the same interventions in other affiliated countries,” stated Mr. Pampula. He added that MMUST has been a great partner to MI and said that he looked forward to more collaborations.
MMUST’s Dr. Tecla Sum gives her remarks during the courtesy call at the Vice Chancellor’s office.
The partnership between MMUST and Malteser International has yielded many fruits and is headed to greater heights. From working together on a project that has seen the University become home to the second largest state of the art simulation center in the Country, to training more than two (2) hundred emergency professionals in the four (4) Counties, this collaboration is definitely on the right track to transforming the country’s healthcare sector.
Photos by Shiundu Masafu
