Topical News
June 2008 Dr. Georg Ruflin in St. Francis Hospital
Our new member, Dr. Georg Ruflin, has decided to work after his retirement in St. Francis Hospital for 2 years. He is from Aarau in Switzerland and is a specialist in Orthopedics and Traumatology. At the moment there is no specialist in this fields at St. Francis Hospital. George's activity in the hospital is therefore of great importance both for the patients and the training of local doctors.
Review.......
July 2008 - An ORF team in Ifakara
Ifakara: Since July 2008 we have been associating with this place-name a picture, or rather many pictures, because we have been filming for the ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) over a period of 6 days: in the hospital, in the leprosy ward, on occasion of church and other festivities and meetings, in the town itself and on our journey…….always with reference to the Association of the Friends of Ifakara. Of course, there exist other partnerships between Austria and Africa. However, it is – so as to use a current term – the surprising, rare, and therefore especially valuable “lasting effect” of this form of co-operation which has aroused our particular interest for this Tyrolean Association: from the fifties up to the present and probably into the future. We do not know yet when the ORF is going to broadcast our story; it will take some time. But we have also taken lots of pictures which you can find under the following internet address:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rudirabe37/sets/72157606395482841/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rudirabe37/sets/72157606392671958/
7/7/08 - 4/8/08
Early in July 2008 Christine and Willi Schennach and Atti Pahl set off for Ifakara with luggage of nearly 100 kilos
Weeks before, a number of crates had been sent to Tanzania containing - among other things – an X-ray processor. After initial difficulties the starting up of this device was successful, to the pleasure of employees and doctors. Now, producing an X-ray does not take more than 3 minutes, contrary to 20 minutes before. Additionally, the rooms of the X-ray department were renovated.
The second C-arm, having been stored in the main store since last year, was assembled and is now situated in theatre 3.
After that, an important project was started: Inventory of hospital equipment. Katharina Achammer with two local assistants, Christine and Willi Schennach took an inventory of eleven departments and wards.
This year, we focused on the improvement of the laboratory, handing over to the hospital both a haematology and a biochemistry analyser and other devices.
This time, Rosa Obexer, a midwife from Sterzing in South - Tyrol was accompanied by her colleague, Burgi Kuenig from Bozen. Training the staff in handling a CTG device was their most important task.
Dr. Carlo Hasenöhrls dream team
On July 16th, Dr. Carl Hasenoehrl and his son Philip started working in St. Francis Hospital together with Dr. Elisabeth Achammer and her daughter Katharina. During 8 working days they operated on 18 patients, among them children with severe burns and scar contractions
