Botswana 2024
This year, the GECS team travelled to Gaborone, Botswana, to conduct a preconference workshop for the African Conference on Emergency Medicine (AfCEM). The workshop spanned four days, with the first two days taking place at the Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital. The attendees consisted of Emergency Medicine Doctors from several countries across Africa including Ghana, Uganda and Botswana. During these two days, participants engaged in a variety of educational activities, including a series of lectures, skill stations, and hands-on ultrasound training. These sessions aimed at providing an opportunity for medical professionals to enhance their practical skills and ultrasound technique.
The final two days of the workshop were held at the Royal Aria Conference Centre, where participants continued their ultrasound training. The course concluded with a train the trainer session in ultrasound where attendees were selected and empowered to continue the skills training for other colleagues in future.
The training was conducted by a team of twelve Emergency Medicine doctors, led by Prof. Jean O’Sullivan. The group included ten doctors from Ireland—Prof. Rob Eager, Dr. Arthur Hennessy, Dr. Victoria Meighan, Dr. John Cronin, Dr. Jeffery Mulcaire, Dr. Orla Kelly, Dr. Anna O’Leary, Dr. Roy McKenna, Dr. Bassey Ndoma-Egba, and Dr. Rawan Elhelali—along with Dr. Gala Nila from Botswana and Dr. Mulinda Nyirenda from Malawi.
This program aimed to improve the quality of emergency care across Africa by equipping healthcare workers with the necessary skills and knowledge to manage critical situations effectively. The workshop was a great success and fostered a collaborative learning environment for all involved. It also offered a great opportunity to engage with international colleagues and exchange knowledge and experiences of Emergency Medicine.
