Group travel to Ethiopia from Sheffield to help improve health services

Health workers who have supported Ethiopia hospitals for over 17 years have visited the country.
Six members of Sheffield Health Action Resource for Ethiopia (SHARE) recently visited St Pauls Hospital in Addis Ababa and Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekelle, Ethiopia. They are pictured in the newly refurbished playroom in Ayder HospitalSix members of Sheffield Health Action Resource for Ethiopia (SHARE) recently visited St Pauls Hospital in Addis Ababa and Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekelle, Ethiopia. They are pictured in the newly refurbished playroom in Ayder Hospital
Six members of Sheffield Health Action Resource for Ethiopia (SHARE) recently visited St Pauls Hospital in Addis Ababa and Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekelle, Ethiopia. They are pictured in the newly refurbished playroom in Ayder Hospital

Six members of Sheffield Health Action Resource for Ethiopia, (SHARE), recently visited St Pauls Hospital in Addis Ababa and Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekelle.

The group helped with infection prevention and patient safety work, the improvement of laboratory facilities and a biomedical engineering project.

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They also delivered dental equipment, helped refurbish the children’s playroom in Ayder Hospital, and visited an orphanage to deliver more than 300 second-hand school uniforms donated by children from Sheffield.

SHARE is an international health link between Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, (STH), and hospitals in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Bio-medical engineers have visited every year since 2008 to assist with developing services and infrastructure, and have established a nursing library with donated text books, as well as shipping over IT systems, beds and medical equipment.

The chair of SHARE, Cariad Evans, a consultant virologist at STH, first visited Ethipoia ten years ago.

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She said: “It was great to visit again and see how the vision has come to life. It is a very valuable experience for people on both sides, and you do find that when people return, their perspective has changed dramatically.

“You develop leadership skills and learn how to cope in unfamiliar conditions.”

For more information about SHARE please contact Cariad by emailing her at [email protected].