Most African women face childbirth without access to skilled health workers when obstetric and neonatal emergencies arise. Providing and retaining skilled health workers is vital in attempts to save the 600,000 women and 7 million babies who die annually in Africa. In the modern world this tragedy is unacceptable and largely preventable. Education and training for health professionals is the key to improving healthcare for mothers and babies in Africa. Non-Physician Clinicians (NPCs) are an effective and retainable health solution for doctor-less rural and some urban areas of Africa. Task shifting to NPCs needs to be extended, enhanced, endorsed and supported by the healthcare community and will be the aim of Work Package 1 and Work Package 3.
The project aims to develop, implement and evaluate clinical service improvement through clinical guidelines and pathways in WP2, structured education and clinical leadership training (WP3) and workforce development of NPCs and faculty (WP1, WP3). A key element will be continuing support for NPCs in the workplace using communications technology and mentorship from local and international physicians (WP1, WP3). Appropriate technologies to help to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths will through WP4 be developed and tested. All service improvements and technologies will be sustainable, scalable, cost-effective, transferrable and co-developed by professional partners in Africa (WP4). Innovative technologies such as 'oxygen in a bag' and 'ITU-on-a-stretcher' will be developed and evaluated. Bringing together key European and African partners with GE Healthcare to address the major issues of enhancing a sustainable healthcare workforce and developing and testing appropriate technologies should help to significantly reduce the loss of mothers and babies in Africa.
