Ifakara Health Institute and its partners conducted a comprehensive five-day Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) training course to equip clinicians from across Tanzania with advanced ultrasound techniques. 

Running from May 27 to 31, the course was organized in collaboration with various institutions and is hosted at the St Francis Regional Referral Hospital (SFRRH) in Ifakara. Participants come from diverse regions including, Rukwa, Pemba, Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Zanzibar, Songea, Katavi, Morogoro, and Arusha.

Designed to introduce and reinforce ultrasound techniques for clinicians who use diagnostic ultrasound in their daily practice, the POCUS training program includes both theoretical lectures and practical, hands-on training sessions. These sessions ensure participants gain expertise in performing and interpreting ultrasound scans. 

The main objectives of the course are to introduce and refine ultrasound techniques for daily clinical practice, enable participants to perform POCUS in line with international guidelines enabling clinicians to interpret sonographic findings and combine them with clinical information to make accurate diagnoses.

Additionally, the course will introduce contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to clinicians already experienced in sonography.

Throughout the week-long training, participants will engage in a 'sandwich' model of alternating theory with practical training, using volunteer patients from the SFRRH. This model is accredited by the Medical Council of Tanganyika (MCT), ensuring it meets rigorous educational standards.

The course is organized by an esteemed panel of medical professionals from SFRRH, including Dr. Dominick Raffael, a physician; Dr. Elias Marandu, a surgeon; and Dr. Winfrid Gingo, a clinical director at the hospital. 

Also contributing is Dr. Victor Urio, a pediatrician at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma; and Dr. Andrew Katende, a physician; PD Dr. Med Martin Rohacek, a physician; Prof Dr. med Maja Weisser, a specialist in infectious diseases; Valentine Mteki, a nurse officer; and Edgar Enzigard, a clinical officer – all from Ifakara.

The team will be joined by instructors, who bring extensive expertise in ultrasound and emergency medicine, including PD Dr. med Martin Rohacek, a board-certified expert in emergency medicine and ultrasound; Dr. Helena Machibya, a radiologist at Temeke Regional Referral Hospital; Dr. Elias Marandu, an ENT surgeon and certified sonographer; and Dr. Andrew Katende, head of the Heart/Lung Clinic at Ifakara.

Other instructors include board-certified sonographers who include Faraja Kitila, Issa Shabani Abdallah, George Mbunda, Sylvester Kasunga, and Victor Myovela.

Click here for more photos from the event.