The Zambia Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Task Force is under the remit of the Global Haematology Special Interest Group.
The strategic aims of the Zambia SCD Task Force are:
- To set the strategy for the Zambia Sickle Disease Scheme and monitor its performance.
- To establish a rolling annual BSH visit to teach/train across the large hospitals in Lusaka, Ndola and Kitwe.
- To set up regular virtual meetings with screening labs to discuss technical issues and complex reporting and review isoelectric focusing (IEF) traces.
- To consider establishing a Zambian institution as a Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) site to expand the interaction to longer placements.
- To expand laboratory investigation of haemoglobinopathies beyond neonates.
A group of BSH volunteers visited Zambia in 2023 and 2024. From 10 to 17 August 2024, the team, consisting of Josh Wright, Katharine Lowndes, Samah Babiker, Subarna Chakravorty, Sue Pavord and Yvonne Daniel, were warmly welcomed both in Lusaka and Ndola.
The task force provided a lecture and teaching programme covering sickle cell disease, transfusion, medical haematology, obstetric haematology, and laboratory practices. In addition to the formal lectures, they provided small group teaching to trainees and students on wards in Lusaka and Ndola and morphology teaching to Laboratory staff.
The BSH and local teams undertook complex case discussions in paediatrics and obstetrics, adopting a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) format with documentation of agreed outcomes. The visiting team learnt as much from these discussions as the Zambia teams. The limited availability of investigations and therapeutic interventions contributes to the challenges of managing a complex caseload with multiple morbidities and advanced pathology.
Haematology MDT and Educational Lecture Series
As a result of these visits, the task force has set up a Haematology MDT and Educational Lecture Series with BSH volunteers and haematology professionals working in Zambia. These meetings are being recorded and are available to view below.