Hawke’s Bay medics deliver training - and children’s clothing - to Samoa

Patrice Shanks, assistant clinical nurse manager, paediatrics, Hawke’s Bay Hospital handing over donations of clothing from CHB Pregnancy Help to nursing staff in Samoa.

A group of Hawke’s Bay medics have returned from a trip to train neonatal and paediatric staff in Samoa, vowing to return.

Dr Oliver Grupp, a paediatrician at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, had wanted to take a group to Samoa ever since he spent three months working there in 2019 and noted a lack of staff trained in newborn life support.

To train in newborn life support, Samoan medical staff have to travel to New Zealand or Australia, and with the lack of resources available this hasn’t been an option.

Grupp approached three Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay nurses and a fellow paediatrician last year. With all keen to do the trip, he sourced funding from the Neonatal Nurses Association and the Oliver Smales Trust and - after a lot of organising - the trip was on.

Patrice Shanks from Waipukurau is assistant clinical nurse manager, paediatrics, at Hawke’s Bay Hospital and one of the keen team who took the trip.

Medical staff from Hawke’s Bay Hospital (front row wearing lei) with their trainees in Samoa.

“There was myself and two neonatal nurses, Dianne OConnor and Nina Lomas, who are newborn life support trainers, Dr Grupp and fellow paediatrician Dr Sarah Currie, who specialises in respiratory diseases. I helped the trainers and also spent time on the children’s ward and in the neonatal unit,” said Shanks.

“Meeting the families, talking to the nurses and seeing what they did made me aware of how well-resourced we are here. Dr Grupp had talked about the need, but we didn’t realise until we got there just what they are deprived of.

“The parents have to take in all the patients’ linen and food, their own towels and sheets for the baby cots. If they are given a prescription they need to go and purchase the medication.

“The neonatal team there create equipment with what they’ve got. Here, we just put our hand in a box and it’s there. Here, we have play specialists to help explain procedures to the children and to help distract them while we do cares.

“In Samoa, there’s no play specialist. It’s a very big hospital with limited resources, and they have the same childhood illnesses that we have. There’s a 40-bed children’s ward with six children and their family in each room. Here, we may have one parent staying.

“It’s their reality and their culture, I gained a lot of insight. I understand Samoan customs better and can relate more, so it’s certainly enhanced how I perform in my role.”

Patrice Shanks (centre, back) from Waipukurau with children’s ward staff and patients in Samoa.

Newborn life support training is usually delivered over three days, to a class of 12 trainees who come out of the course with a certificate.

The course the Kiwi contingent delivered in Samoa had 35 participants from the emergency department, neonatal unit, childrens’ ward and the community’s doctors.

“We could have had even more - we had to limit it,” says Patrice.

“They were very welcoming and very excited and wanted to absorb everything. Participants arrived early and left late, they didn’t want to miss a thing.”

The Kiwi team left behind the training tools they had used.

“They were really grateful, you’d think we were giving them gold . . . it was very humbling.”

They also delivered bags of baby clothing and bedding donated by Pregnancy Help Central Hawke’s Bay.

“CHB Pregnancy Help heard we were going so they donated new and good quality small baby and children’s clothing - beautiful summer-weight clothing, pretty dresses and cotton outfits and prem baby clothes. It was really well received, the parents were delighted and we were just as delighted to be able to take the donations over with us.”

Donna Te Amo of CHB Pregnancy Help says the volunteer organisation was pleased to be able to send the clothes and bedding where it was needed. “It’s what we do. We are based at the Pregnancy and Parenting Hub at the Waipukurau Medical Centre and every Monday we are there sharing out donated baby clothing and equipment, for free, to families.”

Patrice says the paediatric team in Samoa is already asking when they will be back.

“We will go back, with an even better plan. We’d like it to be next year but it’s more likely to be in two years’ time. Hawke’s Bay Hospital was keen and happy for us to go despite knowing there would be increased pressure on the staff who stayed behind, they could see the need.”

In the meantime Grupp has remained in close contact with his colleagues in Samoa, helping where he can and updating them with developments.