North Tyneside General Hospital’s specialist nurses travel around the world sharing their expertise and providing vital care to communities.
Earlier this year, nurses from North Tyneside General Hospital volunteered at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) to support the launch of a new stoma care service – the first of its kind in Tanzania.
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world, and many people with a colostomy face challenges in aftercare and maintenance of the stoma.
A stoma is an opening made in the abdominal cavity to drain waste into a special bag after an injury to the intestines or bladder.
Many patients are bedridden and in excruciating pain, and some even decide to travel long distances to the nearest hospital to get help, only to end up with exorbitant medical bills.
In terms of supplies, KCMC does not have any medical supplies for ostomy care. Since there are currently no other specialized supplies available in Tanzania, the hospital pharmacy can only provide modified plastic bags.
KCMC management approached Bright Northumbria, a registered charity of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, asking for help.
Brenda Longstaff, Director of Northumbria Healthcare’s Light Charity, said: “We have been working with Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre for over 20 years, supporting the development of new health services in Tanzania.
Our main goal is to ensure sustainability so that Tanzanian health professionals can integrate these new services into their practice through our training and support. I am honoured to have been invited to take part in the development of this stoma care service – the first of its kind in Tanzania.
Ostomy Nurses Zoe and Natalie spent two weeks volunteering at KCMC, working alongside new Ostomy Nurses, and were excited to play a key role in expanding this service in Tanzania.
Armed with a few packs of Coloplast products, Zoe and Natalie provided initial training and support to nurses, helping them develop care plans for patients with ostomies. Soon, as the nurses gained confidence, they noticed significant improvements in patient care.
“One Maasai patient spent weeks in hospital because his colostomy bag was leaking,” Zoe said. “With the donated colostomy bag and training, the man was back home with his family in just two weeks.”
This life-changing endeavor would not have been possible without the support of Coloplast and its donations, which are now securely packed in containers along with other donations and will soon be shipped.
Coloplast has also contacted stoma care nurses in the region to collect donated stoma care products returned by patients in the region that cannot be redistributed in the UK.
This donation will transform stoma care services for patients in Tanzania, help eliminate health inequalities and reduce the financial burden for those who struggle to pay for health care.
As Claire Winter, Head of Sustainability at Northumbria Healthcare, explains, the project also helps the environment: “The stoma project has significantly improved patient care and quality of life in Tanzania by increasing the reuse of valuable medical materials and reducing waste disposal. It also meets Northumbria’s ambitious target to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.”
Post time: Sep-11-2025