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A. The Twinning Program

The current three year program has run its 2^nd year, and expectations are that the Ministry of Health in Tonga will renew the program with AusAID for a further three years in 2008

Ø    A.   Exchanges for 2006-7:  Vaiola to St John of GodHospital

   June -Aug 2006

• Mr Joe Manu , dental equipment technician worked with Peter Copp in Melbourne

   November 06

• Surgical Ward (wound nurse) - Mrs Lisia Likilike
• Outpatient Department - Mrs Langi Tupou :
• Medical Records - Mrs Leonia Finau :
• Emergency Medicine - Dr. Sione 'Akau'ola :

   April 07

• Feleti Eke, biomedical engineer
• Pele , surgical nurse

     May June 2007,

• two administrators from Vaiola have been visiting to assess the IBA computer system installed at St John of God Hospital hospitals in Bendigo and Ballarat. They were accompanied for a short period by the Chief Planner for the Ministry of Health in Tongan, Mr Sunia Soakai . This program of IT assessment was funded by international donors, such as the World Bank, prior to implementation in Tonga in the near future, but was undertaken using the resources built up by the twinning program over the years.

• Extract from report to AusAID, made by St John of GodHospital March 2007

  Conclusion
  Again a very successful and beneficial year of exchanges were completed in 2006 with eight staff from Vaiola Hospital attending St John of God Hospital Ballarat, six staff from St John of God Hospital attending Vaiola Hospital, one staff attended for dental exchange and a full dental team attended Tonga from Ballarat. These exchanges were undertaken in line with the Minor Contract CON 13380 Between Commonwealth of Australia Represented by the Australian Agency for International Development and St John of God Health Care Inc., ABN 21930207958 for Vaiola Hospital and St John of God Hospital Ballarat Twinning Program.
  A strong recommendation from all participants to continue the staff exchanges into the future is evident from the reports submitted. The benefits gained from working side by side with their counterparts are proving invaluable and information exchange useful to share with other staff members.
  We look forward to the continuation of the Twinning Program and receiving further exchanges to Ballarat and our staff visiting VaiolaHospital in 2008.

  Sunia Soakai has been most expansive on the benefits to the hospital / dental department to this stage, and hopes to expand this even more so in the coming years. He was enthusiastic about changes that have happened with the twinning program; i.e., Carolyn Murnane's visit (below) had introduced a significant initiative in wound dressings that decreased length of stay in hospital, reduced nursing time for wound care, improved healing, reduced sterile stock requirements, and importantly meant less pain and suffering for the patient.

    Pele , the surgical nurse who visited in April this year followed up on this initiative, and has re-enforced the effect of Carolyn's visit.

  Similarly, Matthew Lyttle worked with Feleti both in Tonga (Aug 06) and here April 07. Feleti spoke at our club, enthused at what he was able to achieve.     

• B.   Exchanges for 2006-7:  St John of GodHospital to Vaiola

  August 2006

  • John Macdonald :  team leader and ICU nurse.
  • Cheryl Pretty :   Emergency medicine nurse.
  • Mathew Lyttle : Maintenance engineer.
  • Carolyn Murnane : Wound care nurse consultant.
  • Jim Graham : X-ray technician.
  • Michelle Franc :  Health Information Systems manager.

  This large team was in particular involved in setting up services in the new building. Cheryl's role was once again very important. Frustrations to the change processes required by the Emergency Medicine services were recognized by the Health Ministry and real progress has been made to date since. A doctor and Nurse Manager from the department have completed an exchange to Ballarat since, taking back a renewed vigor to revamp the department. It is hoped that in the future, real progess may be made with the development of a whole new A&E department, which will be able to call on the twinning program for significant direction in development.