Vol 64 No 2 2024
Page 4
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Histopathology in Zimbabwe: The Fruits of COVID
Histopathology in Zimbabwe: The Fruits of COVID
By Rudo Makunike-Mutasa, MBChB, MMed Sci, FRCPath, FCPathECSA
IAP Vice President, Southern Africa
By Rudo Makunike-Mutasa
MBChB, MMed Sci, FRCPath, FCPathECSA
IAP Vice President, Southern Africa
The COVID 19 pandemic was an unforeseen wave that brought many changes : changed the way we interact, the way we work, and in addition, changed the way we teach and our outlook in general. It brought to the fore the importance and value of…..THE INTERNET !!
The COVID 19 pandemic was an unforeseen wave that brought many changes : changed the way we interact, the way we work, and in addition, changed the way we teach and our outlook in general. It brought to the fore the importance and value of…..THE INTERNET !!
Lessons learnt:
Lessons learnt:
1. MUST stay alert
1. MUST stay alert
Things can change over night. I had a practical with medical students on Thursday 28th March 2020 , and the Zimbabwean government announced the first ever lockdown on Tuesday 26th March: I never ever saw that group of students again!! By the time lockdown was lifted, the students had finished their surgery rotation and pathology was history!
Things can change over night. I had a practical with medical students on Thursday 28th March 2020 , and the Zimbabwean government announced the first ever lockdown on Tuesday 26th March: I never ever saw that group of students again!! By the time lockdown was lifted, the students had finished their surgery rotation and pathology was history!
2. Learning is a continuous process
2. Learning is a continuous process
From knowing nothing about Severe Respiratory Distress Syndrome and corona virus, I found myself appointed on the presidential COVID 19 advisory committee to advise the President of Zimbabwe and his cabinet on interventions including screening policies and lockdown protocols in the COVID pandemic. Serving on the committee taught me that patient care and disease control is a TEAM process. From being a solo histopathologist, overnight, I became a member of a multi discplinary team: Epidemiologist, paediatrician, anesthetist, virologist, anatomic pathologist.
From knowing nothing about Severe Respiratory Distress Syndrome and corona virus, I found myself appointed on the presidential COVID 19 advisory committee to advise the President of Zimbabwe and his cabinet on interventions including screening policies and lockdown protocols in the COVID pandemic. Serving on the committee taught me that patient care and disease control is a TEAM process. From being a solo histopathologist, overnight, I became a member of a multi discplinary team: Epidemiologist, paediatrician, anesthetist, virologist, anatomic pathologist.
3. Threat of death yields instant results
3. Threat of death yields instant results
From years of requesting an upgrade to the mortuary and negative pressure……………… suddenly it became possible!!
From years of requesting an upgrade to the mortuary and negative pressure……………… suddenly it became possible!!
We didn’t get the fancy post mortem tables with goose neck shower roses, neither did we get a coat of paint, but we DID …. FINALLY get the negative pressure!!!
We didn’t get the fancy post mortem tables with goose neck shower roses, neither did we get a coat of paint, but we DID …. FINALLY get the negative pressure!!!
Mortuary gallery at Harare Central Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe
4. Life without friends, is not life at all.
4. Life without friends, is not life at all.
Learning must take place regardless of lock down’s! Thanks to subsidised international membership of USCAP, allowed us access to the USCAP e -learning, where we had both the interactive microscopy as well as pre -corded presentations. The full membership to USCAP would not have been affordable on Zimbabwean public service salaries, but the reduced subsidised fee made it possible. Throughout COVID lock downs we continued to learn courtesy of the USCAP e learning center.
Learning must take place regardless of lock down’s! Thanks to subsidised international membership of USCAP, allowed us access to the USCAP e -learning, where we had both the interactive microscopy as well as pre -corded presentations. The full membership to USCAP would not have been affordable on Zimbabwean public service salaries, but the reduced subsidised fee made it possible. Throughout COVID lock downs we continued to learn courtesy of the USCAP e learning center.
USCAP didactic session
USCAP and interactive session taken from my computer screen
5. INNOVATIONS
5. INNOVATIONS
After enjoying the free interactive sessions, and the conference related free on- demand sessions have run out, life has to go on and teaching must continue even when student and teacher are separated . We struggled to find a solution where we could use our OWN teaching material and our own cases to teach multiple students around the microscope in real time. This seemed impossible with limited resources. We then stumbled on an intervention produced by a company known as PRIMECAM , domiciled in Brazil, and exhibited at USCAP 2024 conference. This wonderful gadget allows us to bring on board the technologies we had learnt and benefited from in COViD: The camera, and the internet. A Camera with a built-in modem was the answer!! Even an ex demo unit was out of reach of the university and the gadget was on offer at the end of the conference and nowhere else. Along came an angel in the form of IAP Communications Coordinator, Dr Stan Shaw!. Dr Shaw visited the stand and waved his magic wand !:
After enjoying the free interactive sessions, and the conference related free on- demand sessions have run out, life has to go on and teaching must continue even when student and teacher are separated . We struggled to find a solution where we could use our OWN teaching material and our own cases to teach multiple students around the microscope in real time. This seemed impossible with limited resources. We then stumbled on an intervention produced by a company known as PRIMECAM , domiciled in Brazil, and exhibited at USCAP 2024 conference. This wonderful gadget allows us to bring on board the technologies we had learnt and benefited from in COViD: The camera, and the internet. A Camera with a built-in modem was the answer!! Even an ex demo unit was out of reach of the university and the gadget was on offer at the end of the conference and nowhere else. Along came an angel in the form of IAP Communications Coordinator, Dr Stan Shaw!. Dr Shaw visited the stand and waved his magic wand !:
i. He managed to facilitate a very generous discount with PRIMECAM.
i. He managed to facilitate a very generous discount with PRIMECAM.
ii. and paid half the discounted price.
ii. and paid half the discounted price.
All that remained was to raise the remaining half of the cost. Thanks to Whatsapp on the phone and Internet a quick phone call to the CEO of the largest private laboratory in Zimbabwe availed the balance, and the unit was acquired.
All that remained was to raise the remaining half of the cost. Thanks to Whatsapp on the phone and Internet a quick phone call to the CEO of the largest private laboratory in Zimbabwe availed the balance, and the unit was acquired.
The camera teaching unit has been a game changer!!
The camera teaching unit has been a game changer!!
i) Now able to teach more than one student in the room real time as we only previously had a double header.
i) Now able to teach more than one student in the room real time as we only previously had a double header.
ii) Now able to conduct multi disciplinary clinical management meetings and show the images to clinicians who are off site.
ii) Now able to conduct multi disciplinary clinical management meetings and show the images to clinicians who are off site.
iii) Now able to teach students who are in another location: a remote site.
iii) Now able to teach students who are in another location: a remote site.
iv) Able to support young pathologists deployed to districts and offer a second option.
iv) Able to support young pathologists deployed to districts and offer a second option.
All that is required is
All that is required is
- A microscope with a photo tube.
- Students with smartphones.
- INTERNET !!
Dr Ephraim Sunhwa, recent University of Zimbabwe graduate teaching Dr Sharon Mugayi a final year resident at University of Zimbabwe. Dr. Mugayi is viewing from a conventional piece whilst three other registrars view real-time from Dr. Dube's smartphone, as Dr. Sunhwa observes and instructs.
6. As a pathologist, life without Internet is…………not life at all!
6. As a pathologist, life without Internet is…………not life at all!
We await artificial intelligence with bated breath.
We await artificial intelligence with bated breath.
Rudo Makunike- Mutasa
Rudo Makunike- Mutasa
Zimbabwean Pathologist
Zimbabwean Pathologist
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