Michaela Anderson shares the experiences from the 2019 Borneo work
"The aim of this programme is to help midwives and doctors of all levels to acquire the necessary life-saving skills to help reduce maternal mortality rates. It focuses on training staff who work together in the maternity environment to improve communication and teamwork which can have a huge impact on the delivery of safe obstetric care. The current Malaysian Maternal Mortality Ratio is currently 27 per 100,000 maternities compared to the UK where the ratio is 8 per 100,000 maternities. This is a figure the Malaysian government is trying to reduce dramatically and working together with the Elly charity we hope to have an impact.
The training involved a 2 day MOMs (Multidisciplinary Obstetric and Midwifery Simulation) Course taught in Miri and Lawas which was attended by up to 65 candidates. The delivery of course involves several teaching styles from small group work, lectures, skill stations to simulations. To ensure the MOMs course is sustainable candidates from the course were selected to attend the Train the Trainer programme. This focused on the candidates developing teaching skills so they are able to pass on their knowledge and teach on local MOMs courses to other doctors and midwives in the Sarawak region.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The enthusiasm demonstrated by the candidates was inspiring and their eagerness to improve and learn was motivational. Many of the candidates had not attended an update in obstetric emergencies in many years and they really appreciated the structured approach with an emphasis on communication and teamwork to help improve their work environment and maternal outcomes. They found it helped them develop confidence in dealing with emergencies and appreciating the skills of all the different titles in the team."
Thank your to everyone that took part! A special thanks to the Elly Charity Volunteers:
Mr Ramesan Navaratnarajah
Elly Charity Trustee & Obstetric and Gynaecology Consultant RLH
Mr Adam Steingold
Consultant Obstetrician RLH
Dr Soha Sobhy
Academic Clinical Lecturer & Elly Fellow
Michaela Anderson
Senior Midwife
Dr Mandeep Kaur Kaler
Obstetric and Gynaecology Senior Registrar
Dr Michael Elkin
Obstetric and Gynaecology Registrar
Adele Hamilton
Midwifery Manager RLH
Dr Dhanuson Dharmasena
Obstetric and Gynaecology Senior Registrar
Amina Ibrahim
Midwife
Sarah El Amri
Midwife