Cath’s Story

Volunteer Nursing Coordinator, Gastroenterology

When Cath walks into an Endoscopy Unit in Madagascar she feels a sense of pride and achievement. Not only is the unit clean and in good order, but the nurses and technicians are professional, hardworking and eager to learn new skills.   When she first arrived in Madagascar in 2011 it was quite a different story.

Cath’s vision was to create a program where endoscopy nurses and scope cleaning technicians were supported to overcome their fear of change and develop skills aimed at reducing diseases and deaths related to gastroenterological conditions.

Cath has worked tirelessly over the past 8 years to make this vision become a reality, with the program becoming a benchmark for gastroenterological nursing care in developing countries.  The program has six operational endoscopy units and one respiratory unit, which are provided with procedure manuals to maintain high standards and practices and Australian donated medical equipment.

Cath’s achievements have been recognised with invitations to present papers at two Gastroenterology Conferences in Madagascar and participation in Madagascar’s Endoscopy Strategic Planning Seminar.