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A charity set up in memory of a young Army doctor and former University of Nottingham medical student is helping to improve healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as providing valuable work experience for current medical and nursing students.
Alex Coutselos became an Army medic and Paratrooper whilst studying medicine at The University of Nottingham but died suddenly in 2006, aged 23. Alex had worked extensively in Africa and his love of the continent and passion for humanitarian work inspired his mother, Ruth Markus, to set up The AMECA Trust after his death.
Ruth and AMECA’s trustees have just returned from the official opening of the new hospital wing the charity has funded at The Beit CURE International Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. The AMECA Wing is a two-storey building comprising a private day surgical ward, training facilities and a café, which will hopefully produce additional income. The revenue from these facilities will help to fund free orthopaedic treatment for the children of Malawi and also contribute to the Malawian National Club Foot Programme.
AMECA has also awarded bursaries of £1,000 each to 15 medical and nursing students at The University of Nottingham to help fund their electives (clinical placements) in Africa. Ruth will be meeting the bursary winners who have just returned from their electives in Africa, at a special event at the Medical School on Friday 10 June 2011 where they will give presentations and feedback on their trips to staff and other students.
AMECA has donated bursaries to University of Nottingham medical students for the past three years but this year is the first year nursing student awards have been made. The AMECA bursaries have allowed the University to apply for match funding from the Government to help even more students fund their electives abroad. This will also allow the charity to consider widening the scope of the awards to include other medical disciplines within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham.
Ruth Markus said: “The AMECA Trust is naturally very proud of the successful completion of its first totally sustainable build project. Within days of opening, The AMECA Wing was being used for elective surgical cases and the charity looks forward to receiving news of the numbers of children who will benefit from free treatment in Malawi as a result of this income- producing venture. The charity is especially proud to have employed the services of so many local people in Malawi and to have completed this project on time and within budget. AMECA is deeply grateful to all those, who donated so generously; the build project was funded in its entirety from domestic and community fundraising.”
Charlotte Rampton, a Graduate Entry medical student at The University of Nottingham, said:
“I received one of the £1000 bursaries for my medical elective in Tanzania. As this elective was towards the end of medical course and it was my third degree I was struggling financially. The bursary was an incredible help to me as it paid for my flight to Tanzania and enabled me to see more of the country. It also meant I was able to give a donation to the hospital to help them purchase some medical equipment and restock their dwindling medication reserves.”
Associate Dean of the Medical School, Professor James Lowe, said: “It is important that health professionals understand global health issues. Ruth Markus and the charity she has created allow our students to experience the delivery of health care in Africa and, speaking to them on their return, they are changed people. I am sure that they will continue to be involved with Africa and AMECA.”
The AMECA Trust’s future plans include the building of a rural clinic for the delivery of primary health and health education in Malawi and to further support training of African healthcare professionals. In the UK, AMECA hopes to sustain and develop its support for medical, nursing and other healthcare students.the building of a rural clinic for the delivery of primary health and health education in Malawi and to further support training of African healthcare professionals. In the UK, AMECA hopes to sustain and develop its support for medical, nursing and other healthcare students.
Donations to AMECA to continue and expand the work inspired by Alex Coutselos are gratefully received and can be made here: www.ameca.org.uk
Media wishing to attend the event please contact Emma Rayner in the Communications Department, details below.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011
as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news