Request for guidance on establishing an antenatal unit in a low resource setting

12 August, 2020

Dear HIFA Colleagues,

I may be asking the impossible but does anyone please have a 'blueprint' for establishing an antenatal ward in a remote, rural setting? What are the essentials? What services should such a unit be able to provide? (Health promotion? Tests? Procedures?)

Chitambo Hospital, Central Provonce, Zambia, has requested help with establishing such a unit. Currently, pre and postnatal mothers are mixed together or spilling over into other wards.

We are writing a grant proposal and have detailed the problems and needs. However, the potential funders (Rotary) have requested a 'framework' for antenatal services. Does anyone please have an example of such a thing they could share with us or have advice they could offer?

Thank you.

Kindest regards

Jo

Dr. Jo Vallis, Chair

FRIENDS OF CHITAMBO SCIO, Registered Charity No. SC044337

_Working Towards a Healthier Chitambo District_

Mobile telephone number: +44(0)7791262918

email: jo@friendsofchitambo.org.uk

Skype: jandrval24

web address: [1]www.friendsofchitambo.org.uk [1]

Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/friendsofchitambo/ [2]

Links:

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[1] http://www.friendsofchitambo.org.uk

[2] https://www.facebook.com/friendsofchitambo/

HIFA profile: Jo Vallis is a Medical Sociologist with a general and paediatric nurse/nurse teaching background. She is Chair of Scottish registered charity, Friends of Chitambo SCIO, which supports health projects in Chitambo District, central Zambia: web address: www.friendsofchitambo.org.uk;

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/friendsofchitambo

She is Project Lead for a Scottish Government funded project on ‘Strengthening emergency care communications in Chitambo District, central Zambia’, now in its 3rd 2-year funding round.

Jo recently retired from her post as Research Officer within NHS Education for Scotland (NES), in order to continue the work with Chitambo in a voluntary capacity.

Email addresses: jo@friendsofchitambo.org.uk; jovallis@hotmail.com