SOMALILANDER-AMERICAN HEALTH ASSOCIATION
OUR PROJECTS
Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training Debrief for SAHA Members
March 26 – April 29, 2022The trainees learned the following ultrasonographic modalities:
Lung POCUS
To evaluate the pneumothorax, alveolar/interstitial syndrome, lung consolidation, and pleural effusions as
the cause of respiratory distress.
Focused Cardiac
Focused cardiac ultrasonography to evaluate the left and right ventricular function, right a trial pressure,
pericardial effusion, and tamponade, among other pathologies.
Abdominal Ultrasonography
Abdominal ultrasonography to evaluate ascites, hemoperitoneum, hydronephrosis, acute pyelonephritis,
and gallstones and confirm Foley catheter placement.
Point-Of-Care Compression
Point-of-care compression ultrasonography to rapidly detect deep venous thrombosis with high accuracy.
We also engaged with the Ministry of Healthcare Development (MOHD) leadership during our time there. We agreed to explore and pilot non-communicable diseases (NCD) clinics at the district and community levels, so, patients do not have long travel distances for chronic management.
NCDs are emerging as a significant contributor to preventable morbidity and mortality in Somaliland. Treating these disease entities (heart failure, hypertension, COPD / asthma, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease,
cancer, and mental health) requires coordinated acute and chronic care management across the hospital, outpatient, and community settings.
At the end of the POCUS training, we established two pilot sites run voluntarily by two participating trainees to diagnose, manage and follow up heart failure patients at the Borama and Erigabo Regional Hospitals. If successful, this initiative would lay the foundation for the devolution of heart failure management to the district and community levels throughout Somaliland. The successful launch of this project will also motivate the implementation of similar clinics targeting a broader range of NCD pathologies.
Of note, this model of NCD clinics draws heavily from Rwanda’s public healthcare sector experience over the last decade.
“NCDs are emerging as a significant contributor to preventable morbidity and mortality in Somaliland.”
SAHA Healthcare Quality Convention
SAHA held its first Healthcare Quality Convention in Hargeisa, Somaliland June 28 – 30, 2021The theme of this inaugural SAHA conference was 'Advancing Evidence-Based Healthcare in Somaliland'. SAHA believes that quality healthcare begins with evidence-based education...
Assessing and Improving Medical-Grade Oxygen Supply Capacity in Somaliland during the Pandemic
Early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, our team’s focus was to shore up hospital capacity to provide critical lifesaving measures, chief among them the provision of medical grade oxygen to patients in respiratory distress from SARS-CoV-2. After a brief assessment, we...
SAHA Healthcare Quality Convention
SAHA held its first Healthcare Quality Convention in Hargeisa, Somaliland June 28 – 30, 2021The theme of this inaugural SAHA conference was 'Advancing Evidence-Based Healthcare in Somaliland'. SAHA believes that quality healthcare begins with evidence-based education...
Assessing and Improving Medical-Grade Oxygen Supply Capacity in Somaliland during the Pandemic
Early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, our team’s focus was to shore up hospital capacity to provide critical lifesaving measures, chief among them the provision of medical grade oxygen to patients in respiratory distress from SARS-CoV-2. After a brief assessment, we...
Better Health Care is Our Mission
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