A Laser for use in ophthalmology was funded by MG# 9817

Twinning programme with St John of GodHospital

  1.      Review of programme.  Roger Snell (CEO St John of God Hospital), David Quinney (DON), John Macdonald (Charge Nurse ICU) and myself visited Tonga in November 1999 and reviewed this programme with A new agreement was signed with the Minister of Health, Mr. Bill Tangi, to continue the programme over the next five years. 

 There will be a continuation of exchanges in both directions, but no further equipment purchase programme at this stage. I believe that there will be up to two teams of four staff from Vaiola coming for three weeks at a time, and up to four staff members from St John of God Hospital going to Tonga for a week for in-service training, equipment installation, programme review etc.  We are hoping that AusAID will support this initiative.

  2.      Two teams have visited St John of God Hospital in the last 12 months, and they have both been extraordinarily successful exchanges, setting up excellent relationships to build up further development of the programme.  The first, for three weeks in August 1999, consisted of

a.             Dr Akinesi Makakaufaki, A&E physician

b.            Ms Moala Simiki Director of Nursing

c.             Mrs Mele Taufa Finau, Medical Nursing

d.            Mrs Salote Schaumkel CSSD and Infection control

 The second was in May 2000 and consisted of

e.             Dr Selina Fusimalohi Paediatric MO

f.              Ms Alaviola Tukutau Top of ICU course run in Tonga in 1999

g.             Miss Sofia Nuku Special Care Nurse.

 

3.      Mr. Michael Toohey (ophthalmologist) is due to go for a two week relieving stint in August for Dr.Afu Taumoepenu who has been unwell lately. Michael has provided excellent advice in the past re selection of ophthalmological equipment (see Matching grant).  Mr. Peter Thomson is due to continue his involvement with the pathology department, and this time to review the department in Vava'u.

 

4.      A further container was shipped via Donations in Kind (Barry Bell, Geelong) with the completion of purchases of $100,000 provided by AusAID. An extraordinarily long list included new and used autoclaves, diathermies, arterial blood gas machines, surgical instruments, pipe benders etc.  Each item was requested by the staff at Vaiola, checked for availability by staff at St John of God Hospital, and in-service provided where needed.

Donations in Kind Shipment

The PortlandHospital (Wayne Barrett, RAWCS Chairman D9780) was able to provide an electrical sterilizer to replace a steam sterilizer for the island of Vava'u.  Barry Bell organized for Atherton (the manufacturer) to service this machine, which then became the nucleus for a further shipment in December 1999.  This contained not only medical equipment (ECG's (Ballarat Health Services), walking frames, crutches, wheel chairs, baby scales etc.), but also educational equipment (books, clothing, paper and computers).  Once again all this equipment had been requested by staff at Vaiola and on Vava'u, or by Mr. Tony Gerritsen (Headmaster, St. Andrew's School) and the HangoAgriculturalCollege and Fatai primary School (Mr.Robert Edgar, the Rotary Club of Frankston North).

The Rotary Club of Nuku'alofa organized distribution of the shipment to these various destinations.  I have received very grateful notices from each of the recipients for the generosity of our Rotarians.

The Hospital engineer (Tui Tauoefolau) undertook transport and installation of the electrical autoclave for Vava'u.  Once again I have received a very grateful letter of thanks from the Ministry for the provision of this equipment.

Barry Bell is organizing yet another shipment in the near future; the nucleus will be redundant dental equipment that Dr David Goldsmith has been able to source from the RMH). Thank you Barry.

Carl Miller Discovery Grant

The club was able to obtain a $US 3,000 grant from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International to send a team to Nuku'alofa and Vava'u to assess in particular the water supply.  Various reports from FAIM teams have over the years indicated that one of the major causes for deterioration of items such as sterilizers, washing machines, plumbing and steam lines has been the extreme hardness of the water.  The club, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health in Tonga, asked

¨      PDG Henry Hudson (Retired Head of the Department of Chemical and Analytical Science at DeakinUniversity, and steam engineer),

¨      Mr Steve Atkinson (Occupational Hygienist, Deakin University-water specialist)

¨      Mrs Robyn Atkinson (Clinical biochemist)

¨      Mr David Tyrrell (Builder)

to review water and steam lines at Vaiola, and electrical and other problems at Vava'u, and to recommend solutions.

 The team has completed an extensive report, which is in the hands of the Ministry of Health at present.  They have recommended a total of 20 projects, ranging from installation of a 1.5megalitre rainwater storage tank down to a water softener for the film development tank in radiology.  There are also a large number of smaller projects for FAIM volunteers in Vava'u.

 If our proposals fit in with the Ministers plans for the department, we will be looking for a lot of funding and many volunteers.  I would like to thank Henry Hudson in particular for a magnificent job in preparing this report.

Matching Grants

Two grants from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International have been completed this year

The Laser Grant (#9813) , sponsored by in particular a very large donation by an anonymous donor for the Rotary Club of St. Arnaud. Other clubs that contributed were our own club, plus the Rotary Clubs of Ballarat South Charlton, Maryborough, and Stawell in District 9780 and the Rotary Club of Nuku'alofa in 9920.  The total grant was for $47,000 for which the major ticket item was the refurbished ophthalmological Laser ($22,500).  Other significantly expensive items included 200 intraocular lenses, an automatic tourniquet, and an anaesthetic gas monitor.

 The Grant for repairs to the Nurses Home Refurbishment (#7514).  This grant for $33,000 was provided in 1997 (the Rotary Club of Ballarat West, the Rotary Club of Ballarat South, the Rotary Club of Torquay (D9780) and the Rotary Clubs of Nuku'alofa and Auckland (D9920)).  Several FAIM teams from Australia and NZ had replaced the roof and renovated the ground floor washrooms in 1998.  Plans in 1999 were put on hold with the unfortunate death of NZ Rotarian Russell Donaldson who had coordinated the NZ Rotary volunteers

 This May, a final team from NZ (Gavin Green, Don Stehr, Gordon Walker and Fred Halliwell) completed the project by pulling out the two old sets of four decrepit showers and replacing each set with two new units.  They evidently worked very hard, but using old school connections were put up by HRH The Crown Prince Tupouto'a for the duration.  The Rotary Club of Nuku'alofa have been set a very high standard for future ventures!  Thank you especially to Stuart Thompson, the retiring WCS Project Co-ordinator for District 9920 for his continued enthusiasm in providing volunteers to complete this project.

The Dental project

Continues with extraordinary enthusiasm, driven by Dr.David Goldsmith.  David led a fourth visit last year, and plans yet another this year. He will report separately.

The Tonga Health Project

 This initiative of AusAID and AusHealth International continues into its second year under Dr Lynleigh Evans. We look forward to even closer involvement in the years to come with selection of staff to exchange in the twinning programme, and perhaps works resulting from the Carl Miller Discovery team of Dr Henry Hudson.

Retirement of PP Robert Bolouri.

Robert has left Rotary, and moved on to other projects.  We wish him well, and thank him enormously for his support in the early days of setting up this project.  Without him and the Rotary Club of Nuku'alofa.  VaiolaHospital would probably in the bottomless crisis it was in back in 1992.

 

John Oswald

Vaiola Hospital Project Co-ordinator

The Rotary Club of Ballarat West,