In May the Kano team visited Altnagelvin, completing the second year of our activities. It was theatre nurse, Magajii and optometrist, Turuchi’s first time here. Dr Abuh, Thomas Achi and Vivian were all returning with expectations of chilling rain. They weren’t disappointed! Turuchi and Thomas both concentrated on orthoptics. Magaji and Vivian on theatre management, anaesthetic care and infection control. Below is Magaji’s report. Thomas and Dr Abuh spent time on the paediatric ward and in the biometry clinic. Dr Abuh observed a dacrocystorhinostomy, anterior levator resection and strabismus surgery.

Dr Noah Ahmedu, a doctor from ECWA Eye hospital currently doing a one year MSc at the International Centre for Eye Health came over for 24 hours to discuss the Retinoblastoma programme. We now have the Retinoblastoma awareness poster made up. 5,000 copies in English, Hausa and Yoroba will be distributed by the VISION 2020 team responsible, among other things, for distributing ivermectin for onchocerciasis treatment in Kano, Jigawa and Yobe states. It is hoped to tack on education of health workers to whom children will present as a result of the posters, to the Standard Chartered Banks eye health programme due to start in the area around Kano. Encouraging families to consent to early enucleation (eye removal) for retinoblastoma can be difficult. But this is the treatment that saves the childs life if the tumour is still confined to within the eye. We discussed strategies to improve uptake of early treatment. Dr Noah hopes to make up a video for parents to watch when they come to ECWA Eye hospital. This will include the stories of a parent whose child had early, life saving treatment and a parent who’s child did not have early enucleation and subsequently died.

During the second week of the visit Dr Abuh and Rosie went to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Annual Congress meeting in Birmingham where they gave a short presentation on the achievements of the link so far.

REPORT ON MY VISIT TO ALTNAGELVIN, NORTHERN IRELAND ON 14/5/2011
The journey commenced on 15th May, 2011 at 12.40 a.m. and we arrived at Londonderry same day at 5.30 p.m. Two of us stayed directly opposite the Hospital.
1st Day:…(click below to read the rest!)
We were introduced and taken to areas where we observed some of their skills and methods. I was left at the General Theatre to observe induction and general anaesthesia for few hours, then moved to children’s recovery room in Day Case Theatre, were children recover after surgery before they are discharge home after performing surgery procedures. Most of the cases are paediatric.
2nd Day:
I was at the Ophthalmic Day Case Theatre. Concentration was on how to improve my local anaesthesia skills. Only two techniques are commonly used as follows:
Peribulbar
Sub-tenon.
In addition, general anaesthesia is use on special cases like D.C.R and Ptosis.
3rd Day:
We were at the paediatric recovery ward where children are kept to recover before being taken to their various wards. This is where I discovered how nurses are dedicated to their duty and making sure every child had easy recovery. They make sure that necessary instruments needed in case of emergency are available at bed side of each patient.
4th Day:
Lecture Techniques: We had lecture on how to safe life of someone under life threatening conditions such as: shock, unconsciousness, drowning, etc. We also received brief lecture by the Infection Control nurse. She promised to send us posters for us to educate others and patients about infection control.

5th Day:
It was Friday morning the last working day of the week. We watched surgical procedures and how instruments are washed, cleaned, wrapped and autoclaved for the next day use. This has helped me to understand the importance of proper washing and handling of instrument after each surgery and to know the exact duration for each instrument in the sterilizing autoclave.
Conclusion:
My visit to Altnavelvin Hospital improved my skills on the following areas:
Making the patient comfortable while at the hospital
Administering local anaesthesia
Making children comfortable during the recovery process
Child shouldn’t be sent back to ward without the ward nurse.
Dedication to duty whole heartedly.

Submitted by:

Magaji Ibrahim