Hello all!
I am a 'retired' physio (young!) who is a resident of Vanuatu. My husband and I sail around the islands every year in our sail boat and we assist volunteer medical teams whenever we can.
We've located several handicapped children, who have no hope of treatment the way things stand, and I would love to see a system by which such kids could get at least yearly or twice yearly evaluation and support with home programmes.
There is a physio dept in Port Vila hospital but the two local physios there are struggling with poor/limited equipment and also need more training. They have certificates from the Uni of the South Pacific but are pretty isolated as regards continuing education. The hospital itself is in dire straits financially.
A sort of "Ronald McDonald House" is almost completed in the hospital grounds, which would be great to provide accommodation (and associated garden produce) for visiting families, but the kids and their parents would have to be brought down somehow.
Any suggestions as to what can be done to provide equipment and inservice ed for the physios, and transport costs for needy patients in Vanuatu? I don't have much financial backing and don't know where to start!
Thanks.
GG