NRT Progress in Point Noir

In May we returned to Point Noir to deliver some promised NRT kits and to check on the progress that the participants were making on perpetuating the neonatal resuscitation training. The practioners from Point Noir came to the NRT program in Brazzaville last August. We were so pleased to see the progress being made. It just holds true that if you give practioners good information and the right equipment they can work miracles. Point Noir is practicing the Neonatal Resusitation Program and perpetuating the training BIG TIME!

This nurse came from the army hospital. She had returned from training and started teaching everyone in their center even though she didn't have a training kit or even a resusitator. Even with the part of the training that just talks about clearing the babies airway and stimulating the baby they started seeing progress in the way babies were responding in their first few minutes of life. We returned and brought her 2 kits and she promised to retrain everyone and start using the knowledge she had to help those babies that need help in taking that first breath. She was very excited. She had trained 32 people and had plans for training more.

A doctor from this group from the Madaline Moulssou Maternity Center had returned his center and had trained 18 people with a borrowed kit. They were elated to get two kits to practice the new technique they had learned.

This nurse atteneded the training and was given a training kit. She returned to her hospital and immediately trained everyone in her center, abourt 35 people. The Director of Obstetrics, Dr. Seraphin OMPALINGOLI was so pleased with the results of his staff and the number of babies they were helping that he organized a training just like the one the Church's NRT Team had done and taught 104 more practioners from around the city. He told us that all they need are more kits as they are unable to purchase any resuscitators or bulb syringes within the country.

We found this doctor eating his lunch taking a break from his 36 hour shift. He was very tired but greeted us warmly and was pleased to get two kits. His center was trained and again had no kits to practice thier new found knowledge. He committed to retrain his people and put the kits to good use.

Although we only took 10 kits with us to distributre, we could have used 100 kits. Everyone was so grateful for what we brought. As far as we could determine the 4 centers in Point Noir have trained over 300 people and have more training sessions planned.

The Pavillion Hospital births about 80 babies a month. The nurse was so excited to see us. She had been to the training but did not have a kit. We gave her one kit and she started dancing and singing. She hugged the kit to her and kept kissing it all the times thanking us for remembering their center. She said she had been trained but because whe didn’t have a kit she couldn’t practice what she had learned. Now she was ready to really save those babies.

Well, if we wanted confirmation that the Neonatal Resuscitation Training Program is worthwhile we sure got that feedback this trip. We will continue to try and find kits for these people to help all the centers they are training. The program is so simple and yet so powerful. These practioners are being empowered to practice good medicine where they have so little to practice with.

We are in the midst of planning the 2008 NRT program and will have Dr. Preece here next week to set up the training for Lubumbashi. We have arranged for him to conduct a training here in Kinshasa for the Kingasani hospital that births over 800 babies a month. He will supervise the training using doctors who were trained last August in his last training. This will be exciting to see the doctors from the Congo start doing the training in conjunction with the team from the church. This program couldn't be going any better as it is helping this area to become independent and take ownership of the program. This will allow the church to move on to other places yet to be trained.

A fun sidelight to Point Noir is the chance to stop at the local art gallery and purchase some original paintings. We purchased the three painings you see sitting on the ground closest in the picture. The man on crutches is the artist and very proud of his work. They are now our treasures from Point Noir.