Local hospital staff humanitarian mission

Two members of staff from the Cardiology department at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital have volunteered for the British Society of Echocardiography’s humanitarian project in Cape Town, South Africa, this August. The project aims to provide screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease.

There are 15.6 million people worldwide living with the consequences of Rheumatic Heart Disease and most of these people live in areas with severe social and economic challenges. However, with early detection and proper treatment many of these devastating complications can be prevented. The humanitarian project will provide echocardiography scans for 2000 children in the surrounding villages of Cape Town.

Hayley Reeve and Eleanor Farrow are Cardiac Physiologists in the Echocardiography team in the Cardiology out-patients department. They will be using the opportunity to not only work and provide valuable skills for the Echo in Africa charity, but they will be able use the knowledge gained from their experience within the NNUH cardiology department on their return.

Research will also be carried out during the project to compare the efficiency of using a portable hand-held Echocardiography device to a full size Echocardiography machine, used to provide an ultrasound scan of the heart. The project will be a valuable training opportunity as Hayley and Eleanor will experience using new handheld devices and will also be able to see more patients with this condition, which is fairly rare in the UK.

Eleanor said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to support and develop cardiology out in South Africa and to learn about and experience the detection and quantification of a disease which occurs only in isolated cases in the UK, and bring this knowledge to our department at the NNUH.”

Eleanor and Hayley are fundraising to cover the travel costs of the trip and to meet the minimum fundraising amount for the charity, to help provide a permanent screening facility and to raise £1500. They are holding a quiz night at the Bird in Hand pub at Wreningham as well as a sponsored 17 mile walk on 12th July.

For further information contact:
Hayley Reeve 01603 287477 or email hayleya.reeve@nnuh.nhs.uk or eleanor.farrow@nnuh.nhs.uk

Donations can be made via their Virgin money giving page found at:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TheDopplerDuo