WRETF continues to provide much-needed Bursary Support

The World Radiography Educational Trust Foundation (WRETF) has continued its support of improving radiography in developing countries through several recently completed bursaries; now 13 over 3 years!

RahamUd Din, 4th left with staff at Malaysian University Hospital

Two recent awards supported attendance at the 20th ISRRT Conference, Trinidad & Tobago by Evelyn Wasike from the Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya and a visit by Rahman Ud Din – lecturer from the NWIHS (Kyber Medical University Peshawar, Pakistan to the Dept. of Diagnostic Imaging & Radiotherapy, Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences, Islamic International University of Malaysia, Kuantan, Malaysia. Different experiences but a common thread gaining knowledge and transferable skills that can be used to educate and train colleagues from their home institution and provide much-needed improvements in patient care in a developing country.

Evelyn Wasike provided an outstanding application to the Trust and her presentation at the recent ISRRT Congress was excellent, as witnessed by WRETF Trustees Chris Steelman and Cynthia Cowling, the respective incoming and outgoing Chair of the WRETF. Evelyn was proud of her achievements especially as her research paper on “A self-directed learning intervention for radiographers rating mammographic breast density” had recently been published in the UK journal Radiography – volume 23, issue 4, November 2017.

Chris Steelman, 1st left, WRETF, with Evelyn Wasike far right at ISRRT event.

Evelyn said she was delighted to have received the WRETF bursary support that enabled her attendance– “I was able to share and discuss cancer issues with other delegates, learn about care quality, standards and many important technical matters that I can now share with the Kenyan Society, even other East African societies – as we are now thinking of hosting workshops. The incident reporting system – SAFRON – I have already proposed to my department and contacts made with the ASRT have enabled assistance to our department in developing a culture on Radiation Safety in radiation therapy”.

Likewise Raham Ud Din said “I was able to compare the curricula of my home institution with that of the Malaysia University and I picked up a considerable number of suggestions that have immediate application back home. The hospital staff made me feel really welcome and the opportunity to see the research work being undertaken was truly amazing. The Head of Department – Dr Norhanna Sohaimi – gave up a lot of her time and stressed to me about the quality of training equipment, the facilities in which to train and the importance of quality CPD (for our staff too) as all being vital to students receiving the best clinical learning experience.”

Recently 3 new bursaries were awarded, including an educational trip from Zambia to Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK.