‘Still so much to be done’ says NHS Highland consultant on the front line in African country
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A life-changing medical mission to Africa, led by an Inverness doctor, will see substantial changes to the way in which the country will respond to Covid–19.
Andy Kent, a consultant at Raigmore Hospital who is leading a UK-Med mission to Eswatini, said that while case numbers are falling in the country - his team are supporting medics with supply issues and reinforcing public health messages.
But Mr Kent, who last year helped in Beirut after a deadly bomb blast devastated the city, said it was not the time to let the guard down against the deadly virus.
He said: "It is an amazing place. It is a beautiful country. And the people are outstanding.
"Over Christmas and New Year Eswatini struggled with Covid. The case numbers were rising out of control and the medics in the country put out a call to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for support.
"I along with the team of people were able to come and support them. Huge thanks go to my colleagues at Raigmore and in NHS Highland for allowing that to happen.
"Paradoxically the Covid numbers here have fallen, nothing to do with us, but we do not know what the next strain might bring - so we are reinforcing the message around PPE and hand washing, along with social distancing. There is much to be done."
Mr Kent explained that the work he and his team are doing will hopefully have an impact on the way in which the medical supplies come into the country.
He said: "When the numbers were at their highest, medical teams only had 50 per cent of the oxygen that was needed to treat patients. It was a horrible situation to be in, for anyone. The staff here tried to ration the oxygen.
"At the moment, oxygen is supplied through South Africa. Of course, as the number of Covid cases increased there, it was not possible to pass on supplies to Eswatini. So we are working towards the government in this country having its own supply. That is not going to happen overnight. But hopefully it will happen sooner because of our work. "
At present there are no supplies of the vaccine coming into the country. This was another thing Mr Kent said the mission and the WHO would begin to raise awareness of.
He said: "It is understandable that richer countries will want to vaccinate their own people first. But we hope we can highlight the issue and make sure vaccines are sent here."
"Like almost everywhere people are exhausted with Covid, and measures that may have been in place have slipped.
"So part of our mission is to reinforce that message to people. We understand that people are tired, it is a constant fight against the virus – but simple precautions can help. Too many medical staff in Eswatini have been infected. "
He added: "People ask me why I work on these missions when there is so much to be done at home. I tell them that unless we support people elsewhere then it will be really difficult to ever bring the virus under control."
Read more about Mr Kent.
