Lincolnshire United Hospital NHS TrustDoctors at a hospital in Lincoln have joined a project to improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Sri Lanka.
Later this month, they will travel to South Asia to support the training of medical professionals in advanced life support.
Sri Lankan-born cardiologist Dinal Taleyratne said quality resuscitation training was not easily accessible in the country.
Mr Taleyratne, who helped plan the trip, added: “I always wanted to come back and offer my support.”
He is assisted by Prof. David O’Brien, a consultant cardiologist, and Monique Loveday, a senior resuscitation practitioner.
They will teach staff in a “train-the-trainer” course that they helped develop to pass on their knowledge of specialized cardiac care.
It is hoped that the Sri Lankan doctors who participate in the training will then pass on their knowledge to colleagues in local hospitals across the country.
The trip was funded by Lincoln staff outside the NHS budget.
“Powerful tool”
Ms Loveday said she had a “real passion” for education and was “excited” to be involved in improving skills in Sri Lanka.
She said: “We take a lot for granted in the NHS. We benefit from its history and all the hard work and experience that has brought us to where we are today.”
Prof. O’Brien has been teaching advanced life support systems for 25 years, including in China and India.
He said education is a “powerful tool” but Sri Lanka lacks the infrastructure and financial resources to teach people “these vital skills”.
Dr Taleyratne said he hoped the Lincoln team would also learn from their Sri Lankan colleagues.
“They are developing an exciting program to teach resuscitation techniques in schools. The fact that a developing country is doing this while we are not shows that we can learn a lot from each other,” he added.
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