colleagues and courses

Firstly, my apologies for the late post. It has been a very busy and exciting month and I am looking forward to telling you more in the next few posts. We have had 5 colleagues visiting, many great teaching and training initiatives, 2 international conferences to attend and a first for Cairdeas. My thanks to all our consultants in India this month; Irene Nicholson, Judith Smith, Kenny Ferguson, Gillian Craig and Lydia Mpanga Sebuyira.

I will start with our 'first'. You may remember a few years back we supported training for the management of chronic oedema; led by Kenny Ferguson. This is a chronic and debilitating problem that affects many people - especially those with cancer. Some patients travel hundreds of km to try and get help - often too late. Although treatments can be very straightforward, when there is no one to help they suffer a cycle of infections, pain, disability and social isolation. We have been planning with several Indian colleagues to support a cohort of Indian trainers - that can use their expertise to train others and to start local services. This planning culminated in the first national 'training the trainers' course for chronic oedema management. 18 delegates gathered from 7 centres for this 5 day hands on training at the Education Centre, Sneha Deepam part of CMC Vellore. Kenny and Gillian, both experienced clinicians and teachers from Grampian in Scotland, quickly adapted to street life in India. Do you fancy a cut throat shave??

To illustrate the problem let me introduce you to
Muthuswamy. He was attending clinics for his leg swelling some time and his problem was beginning to come under control. However, he was so encouraged to be able to receive expert advice and to get a stocking that fitted his leg. His friend also had some ideas about how to access materials for bandages in India so all in all a great consultation by our course facilitators!


The course delegates were an amazing group. They were so excited to be able to access training - but also to meet together, share experiences and plan for the future. We now have seven implementation plans and will hope to offer mentorship and support in the months and years to come. We had a great social evening when we shared Indian cultural music with a tune on the 'moothie' from Kenny and Scottish dancing for all! A huge thanks to all who attended for their enthusiasm and commitment, to the course facilitators Kenny, Gillian and Shakila, to Hamilton and the team at CMC Vellore for hosting such a great week and to you for your support in so many ways.

Lastly some encouraging news. I have just heard from Cansuppoprt in Delhi who sent 2 delegates. Already they have arranged a training programme for in chronic oedema. I might even be able to get a quick photo to show these new trainers in action!