TB Control
St Francis Hospital treats a staggering 1600+ patients every year for TB. Most are managed by a small team led by Mr Dennis Makowa at the Outpatient Clinic
Chris Faldon decided to raise enough funds to purchase 36 bicycles for their TB team. Why? Bicycles help enormously the community team at the hospital to get out to remote rural areas. They walk miles each day to ensure patients get their medication daily, check on the health of patients and their families, as well as educate community groups about TB & HIV. Bikes act as taxis by enabling them to bring patients into the hospital when needed. A bike could make all the difference to TB control in a country ravaged by the disease. Many patients are co-infected with HIV which makes TB an even greater killer if treatment is poor. The right bike to fit the rough terrain and carry passengers costs around £100 to purchase in Zambia and will help boost the local economy.
Over £5,000 was raised. In October 2013, 36 bikes were collected (made in Lusaka by Zambikes) and delivered to St Francis Hospital. Each bike was given a unique name and issued to each of the active volunteers. In addition, specially designed and printed t-shirts were provided for the volunteers to increase their profile within the community.
In addition some of the funds raised went to build a shelter for patients waiting to be seen at TB corner. Often they would have to wait for long periods in the full glare of the sun or in torrential rain depending on the season. Dennis, the TB Clinical Officer, was overwhelmed at the improvement this brought to his patients comfort. It also provides a great resource for some open air teaching.
2014
Chris Faldon obtained a travel bursary from the General Nursing Council for Scotland (Education) Fund 1983 and Margaret Callum Rodger Midwifery Award. This set out to assess the impact of nurse led teams employing Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) on TB treatment completion in Zambia & London to inform service developments across Scotland
2016
Two days of training were organised for all the volunteers.
- Update on changes to national and WHO TB guidance
- Good nutrition for TB patients - using local foods and with a tight budget
- Basic bike maintenance training
Community visits were made to see the volunteers in action New tee shirts were provided
2017
Fundraising enabled the purchase of a backpack for each volunteer. This was a request of the team during the 2016 visit.
2021
A Youtube video has been created to describe the project
26 bikes were brought to a repair workshop in October 2021
2019
23 bikes were given a thorough overhaul over two days. This brought several back into full use again allowing more patients to be supported by this dedicated team of volunteers
2022
Waterproof wear was provided to enable volunteers to more comfortably visit patients during the rainy season
2023
25 bikes were brought to a repair workshop in August and a further 10 bikes were purchased and supplied to new volunteers.