Title:
Strengthening Emergency Care in Tanzania: What Works?
Authors:
Franssen, Mayke J.
Place:
Amsterdam
Publisher:
KIT - Royal Tropical Institute [etc.]
Year:
2017
PAGE:
xi, 98
Language:
En
Subject:
Health and Poverty
Keywords:
Emergency Care, Quality of Care, Pre-Hospital, Triage, Tanzania
Abstract:
The urgency of conditions presented at health facilities is high in Tanzania; people wait longer at home, have less access to care, chronic treatment of non-communicable diseases is lacking and injuries are worse. This was confirmed with a case study at Haydom Lutheran Hospital, where urgency of presenting cases was high. In practice, many people present on the primary care level with urgent conditions. Health workers at this level and even at higher levels are not trained nor equipped to deal with these patients. Unnecessary morbidity and mortality is the result. Also, pre-hospital care is almost non-existing, which literally leave people to die on the spot. Barriers to quality of emergency care are rife, starting at the level of basic infrastructure. Together with poor career development options and lack of participation creates an environment of demotivated staff. Addressing these issues will be key for any intervention to be successful. Some initiatives in Emergency Care have taken off; the Emergency Medicine Association of Tanzania has local expertise to take this subject forward. Together with local experts, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare should start focusing on integrating the traditional vertical pillars in one integrated strategy for prevention, emergency care and routine (chronic) care. This national strategy is the basis for designing locally applicable and feasible strategies. The Global Emergency Care Collaborative proposes a pyramidal health care system with community responders in first-aid and non physician emergency care providers at different levels. This system seems very suitable for the Tanzanian situation.
Organization:
KIT - Royal Tropical Institute
,
VU - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Institute:
KIT (Royal Tropical Institute)
Country:
The Netherlands
Region:
Northwest Europe
Training:
Master of International Health
Category:
Research
Right:
@ 2017 Franssen
Document type:
Thesis/dissertation
File:
VIeOMYpj3N_20180412160254889.pdf