Spirometry Short Course, Harare Zimbabwe – May 2019

What a joy it was to be stepping onto Zimbabwean soil again after 16 years. Thank you to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Global Health Research Programme funded ACACIA (Achieving Asthma Control in African Children) project together with the Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS) for affording me the opportunity to present the subject I love on my favourite continent, in my home country – in my home town – Harare. I hope this is just the first of many reasons to visit Zimbabwe again.
A team of hand-picked doctors, nurses and allied health professionals from Parirenyatwa Hospital and the University of Zimbabwe, under the leadership of Prof Hilda Mujuru and Dr Ismail Ticklay, were introduced to spirometry in preparation of the start of the field work for the ACACIA project.
Three days from the 15 – 17th May was spent learning about the application, measurement and interpretation of spirometry. The fourth day was spent workshopping on quality assurance and over-reading spirometry conducted in research. We know that this training is a steppingstone for the start of the regular use of spirometry in Harare. I am excited to be a part of this and wish to thank everyone involved in the preparation and management of the training. It was great!
Facilitator