King’s Global Health Partnerships works with health facilities, academic institutions and governments to strengthen health systems and improve the quality of care in four countries: Somaliland, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. We bring together expertise from King’s College London, King’s Health Partners’ NHS Trusts and our international partners to educate, train and support healthcare workers, strengthen healthcare and training institutions and enhance national health policies and systems.

We connect UK and African health professionals, providing training, mentoring and hands-on support; and undertake collaborative research to inform policy and practice. We also support our partners by providing access to funding, networks and development opportunities. Through these long-term partnerships and our global volunteering scheme we promote skills and knowledge exchange. This mutual learning contributes to building a stronger health workforce and improved quality of healthcare both internationally and in the UK.

King’s Global Health Partnerships: Covid-19 response

King’s Global Health Partnerships (KGHP) is actively supporting our African partners to respond to COVID-19. As a continent, Africa is particularly vulnerable. The capacity to provide critical care is the lowest in the world. In Sierra Leone, for example, there are only three doctors and 50 nurses per 100,000 people. By comparison, China has 180 doctors and 230 nurses per 100,000 people. We also know that the burden from COVID-19 will almost certainly have a negative impact on the care that people receive for other life-threatening illnesses – the Ebola outbreak in West Africa caused a similar number of deaths from malaria, HIV and tuberculosis as it did from Ebola related deaths, because the crisis prevented those people from receiving treatment. 

With roughly one-third of hospitalised patients requiring intensive care, Covid-19 is likely to be unmanageable for health facilities, health workers and medical infrastructure. Although Africa is behind the rest of the world in terms of the spread of the virus, case numbers are rising fast.  KGHP’s priority is to strengthen capability to respond, working closely with long-term partners - hospitals and governments in Sierra Leone, Somaliland and DR Congo. We are doing this by:

• Providing training and mentoring of frontline health workers to manage the most critically ill patients, increasing their chances of survival
•  Providing advice and support to national governments as their strategies evolve
• Purchasing vital supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers and essential medicine for the most vulnerable patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somaliland and Sierra Leone
• Working with local engineers to increase oxygen capacity to hospitals
• Deploying clinically trained volunteers when surge capacity is needed in government hospitals
• Keeping essential services running so that people with other life-threatening conditions continue to receive some care during the Covid-19 outbreak

  During the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2015, KGHP treated 10% of all Sierra Leone’s cases. By setting up a Command Centre, providing training, and co-developing systems for future resilience, KGHP played a leading role in the response. Sierra Leone is now managing widespread local transmission of COVID-19. 

  Supporting Connaught Hospital is the key priority; we have been working closely with the management of Connaught (the primary adult referral hospital in the country) as well as with other hospitals in the Western Area to train frontline health professionals and prepare for the effective triage, isolation of cases and step-up infection prevention control. In addition, we are focusing on increasing oxygen capability to ensure effective treatment. We are also working with Management to try to keep essential health services running alongside the Covid-19 response.

  In the face of international isolation, insecurity and frequent disease outbreaks, the Government of Somaliland is facing a severe lack of resources and capacity – healthcare is only accessible to 40% of the population. Somaliland reported two confirmed cases on 31 March, one in Berbera and one in Burao. The Somaliland government has set up a task force and we are providing advice and support to the Ministry of Health and Development, and training for frontline health workers.

  Having just faced an Ebola outbreak in the east of the country, the DRC is now dealing with a rise in a cases of COVID-19. DRC’s response to COVID-19 will likely divert health capacity and resources away from treating sick people suffering from a high disease burden and strain an already weak and overstretched health system.

  KGHP is active in the Kongo Central province of DRC. Historically, Kongo Central has not been prioritized by international donors and there is limited capacity and a lack of resources to respond to disease outbreak at this provincial level. At the key hospitals we support, they are working hard to put preparedness plans in place; but there is a lack of hygiene awareness among health workers; and no ready availability of personal protective equipment for them. We are providing training and mentoring for frontline staff at treatment centres across the Kongo Central province.