Addressing Chronic Lung Diseases through the Provision of Equipment and Capacity Building

Nepal, Bangladesh

The project assisted partner medical research institutions and health care facilities in Bangladesh and Nepal to better address chronic inflammatory lung diseases which are becoming more prevalent in developing countries. The two Hospitals, the University Hospital Basel and the Vienna General Hospital; identified partner institutions in Bangladesh and Nepal and launched a continuous collaborative support program involving medical staff training, the provision of equipment, upgrading facilities and drug distribution, as part of a baseline study on vitamin D deficiency; in order to raise the medical standards on chronic inflammatory lung diseases in these two countries and thus improve health care provided to the local population. The project entailed launching a continuous collaborative support program involving medical staff training, the provision of equipment and diagnostic machines, upgrading facilities and drug distribution; in order to raise the medical standards on chronic inflammatory lung diseases in the two beneficiary countries and thus improve health care to the local population. Furthermore, the project installed a new video system and display, which enables hospitals to conduct training of more nurses and doctors on therapeutic and diagnostic methods at a separate venue. On the other hand, this video system allows the hospitals to receive ongoing support and consultation from University Hospital Basel through video conferencing on diagnosis and treatment for difficult cases. The direct beneficiaries of this program are four doctors, two from each country, who received advanced training at the University Hospital of Basel. In addition to the trainings were purchased for the National Institute of Diseases of Chest Hospital in Bangladesh. The project will indirectly benefit tens of thousands of patients who suffer from lung diseases, and who visit the two hospitals each year.