Postal address: Institutionen för medicin och hälsa, Avdelning för omvårdnad, Hälsouniversitetet, SE-581 85 Linköping, Sweden
Visiting address: Berzelius Science Park (BSP), Entrance 62, Campus US
Web page: http://www.imh.liu.se/omvardnad?l=en
Contact person: Lecturer Eva Molander, Academic coordinator, phone: +46 (0)10 1037747
Linnaeus Palme collaboration with Nepal
The Division of Nursing has been closely connected to a major Indo-Swedish collaboration project between Linköping University and the Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences in Loni, Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra State, India. Key persons involved have been Senior Lecturer Siw Alehagen and Anna-Karin Johansson.
The project, entitled ”Developing a Multisectoral Approach Model for Sustainable Health and Development through Institutional Collaboration between India and Sweden”, was carried out 2006–2009 in 235 underserved/tribal villages of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra, and focused on a number of key areas, including Improvement of access to mother and child health care; Women empowerment; Awareness generation; and Nutrition and Research in Biotechnology.
In July 2012, the Final Project report was submitted, and soon after, in September 2012, the open-access peer-reviewed journal Rural and Remote Health published an article (12:2140) about the Pravara project. The article is entitled ”Nurse-based antenatal and child health care in rural India, implementation and effects – an Indian-Swedish collaboration”, and presents the methods being used in the project, and shows positive results from the project implementation in reducing the level of mother and child mortality. Families’ participation increased which led to more check-ups of pregnant women and small children. Antenatal visits before 16 weeks among pregnant women increased from 32 to 62% during the period. Women having at least three check-ups during pregnancy increased from 30 to 60%. Maternal mortality decreased from 478 to 121 per 100 000 live births. The total numbers of children examined in the project increased from approximately 6000 to 18 500 children. Infant mortality decreased from 80 to 43 per 1000 live births. Women and children referred to specialist care increased considerably and institutional deliveries increased from 47 to 74%. The results suggest that it is possible in a rural and remote area to influence peoples’ awareness of the value of preventive health care. The results also indicate that this might decrease maternal and child mortality. The education led to a more patient-friendly encounter between health professionals and patients. Read the full article.
Read more about the Pravara project.
In February 2012, the International Programme Office for Education and Training (Internationella Programkontoret) awarded the department SEK 40 000 as an initial Linnaeus Palme International Exchange programme grant with Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital (KMC) in Kathmandu, Nepal, to develop collaboration on teachers and students exchange during the period 2012-13. Eva Molander is the coordinator at the Swedish side.
The collaboration was initiated after requests from the Nepalese side to extend long-standing exchange activities for medical students between Linköping University and KMC (more information) also to nursing students. During the planning phase one teacher – Eva Molander – travelled from Linköping to Kathmandu in November 2012, and one teacher from Kathmandu should come the opposite direction. If successful, the collaboration will be extended to both teachers and students exchange.
The project has received continued funding for the period 2014-15 with SEK 498 800. More information about the South Asia related Linnaeus Palme projects for 2014-15.