Its content addresses the major areas of anaesthetic practice and the
biggest causes of maternal mortality worldwide, namely haemorrhage,
sepsis and pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.  Importantly, it includes
sessions on how to use the Lifebox pulse oximeter and how to implement
the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist.  The course is undertaken in
conjunction with local partners and progressively trains up local
faculty to achieve progressive sustainability over time.

Twenty
nine delegates were trained on Bangladesh’s first SAFE course, who were
from both physician and non physician backgrounds.  For the first time
in the course’s history a good number of obstetric and paediatric
physicians attended.  This represents an exciting development, because
these specialities are essential allies with anaesthesia in the fight to
reduce maternal and infant mortality.  Delegates had travelled from all
over Bangladesh, some large distances, overcoming the disruptive and
frequently occurring transportation strikes.   

Faculty comprised
of Dr Angela Enright travelling from Canada; Drs Christine Edwards,
James Leedham, Richard Ramsaran and Kate Grady from the UK, Dr Rebecca
Jones a UK anaesthetist currently working in Bangladesh and four
Bangladeshi faculty, Professors Rahman and Banik and Drs Rahman and
Paresh.  The Bangladeshi faculty enriched the course in many ways, and
along with Dr Christine Edwards possessed impressive bilingual
(English-Bengali) abilities.


Dr Angela Enright, delivering part of the course

The course was thoroughly enjoyed by the delegates and Faculty alike.  Positive feedback statements from delegates included:

‘overall a great job! thankyou!’

‘it is a good, useful and invaluable course’

‘I am very satisfied to get this training’

‘very good to have anaesthetist and obstetricians together in group’

‘SAFE course has helped me to enrich my knowledge, I would like to attend this type of course again in the future’

‘It
is an effective training for every anaesthetist so if all anaesthetists
receive this training then it is beneficial for the provision of safe
obstetric anaesthesia’

Knowledge and skills tests were
performed before and after the course.  They revealed good levels of
knowledge at the outset which, by the end of the course had improved
even further.  Encouragingly the improvement in skills was statistically
significant.  The Bangladesh Society of Anaesthesiologists (BSA) is keen to partner in running the course again in different parts of the country and plans are underway.

The
course was very generously funded by the WFSA.  WFSA ties were  donated
and presented to all male faculty and delegates at the official closing
ceremony.  Female delegates were also presented with a gift and the
travelling Faculty were presented with beautiful rugs as gifts from the
BSA.

We are grateful to the staff at LAMB hospital and their
medical director Dr Nelson for a very warm welcome and hospitality.  The
hospital’s Nursing Institute provided us with perfect efficiency,
excellent classroom facilities and much appreciated air conditioning!

Angela Enright

Kate Grady

James Leedham

Richard Ramsaran