Mieke Visser returned in May 2017 after 3 months and training over 900 undergraduate medical students in Community health and Family Medicine. Read her report on the Social and Community Medicine training 2016-2017 with the University of Rwanda and PIH.
The undergraduate program in Community Health and FM, report by P vd Hombergh
In march 2017 Mieke Visser, Maaike Flinkenflögel & Mariëtte de Reeper organised a 2 week course for hundreds of medical students in Kigali and Butare. Fons Mathot and Pieter van den Hombergh helped with teaching, but also had the opportunity to meet many people and attend a meeting of the future association of FPs. All discussions were on how to revive the FM-training. Suggestions are in the report of this visit.
The iSoco programme is developed for the level 1, 2 and 3 year medical students and replaces the present 2 weeks intensive course in the fourth year. In three consecutive years several topics on social and community medicine will be addressed in a course of 1day a week during 12 weeks. Two Rwandese junior doctors are part of the teaching team.
The iSOCO program has 440 students for 4 mths 1 day/wk (including 20 military med. students)
Two junior doctors are part of the team. The team made an great site for all learning material.
For Community (Umuganda) look at this YouTube film showing the activities during the Umuganda outreach in the community in Butare, Rwanda. Umuganda means: “coming together for a common purpose to achieve a outcome”. It dates from colonial times when neighbourhoods came together to help each other. After genocide it was restored by the government and even mandatory for all adults to work together every last Saturday morning of the months in communal work. The idea is that it brings people together again and is a peace-building activity. This specific Umuganda outreach to a nearby village was organized by the MEDSAR, the Medical Student Association in Rwanda. Apart from restoring a small house, the students also constructed vegetable gardens. The target villagers are chosen by the chief of the community. The Umuganda is usually ended by a village meeting.
MEDSAR was founded in 1997 as an independent, non political, non profit organization, run for and by medical students. It defends and represents medical students and promotes science. Standing committees organise activities related to promotion of public health of the citizens. They focus on public health projects, conferences and international exchanges.
200 students in Butare required some shouting. Palliative care in Kibagabaga hospital Kigali.
Mariëtte, Pieter, Fons and Maaike and a student. Undergraduates after lecture of Phil Cotton.
Teaching also for future military physicians in FM by Alfred, Akiki from PIH & Mieke
Excellent publications are now available:
The desired Rwandan Health Care Provider Education for Primary Care (in Education for PC)
The next generation of Rwandan physicians with a primary health care mindset (article in the African Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care)
Primafamed Family Medicine training in Sub-Saharan Africa (South–South cooperation in the Primafamed project as strategy for development(article in Family Practice)
Bill Gates (on behalf of the foundation) has a nice video on the success of Rwanda.
The FM-program in Rwanda started in 2008 and was supported by the University of Colorado with a grant form CDC Atlanta. PIH (Partners in Health) with NUR (Nat. University of Rwanda), Faculty of medicine, department of family medicine. FAMCO (Family Medicine & Community health MMed training) is a 4 year Program and started in 2008. The first group of 9 Family Physicians (6 graduated in 2012, 3 later)..jpg)
.Michel Miller was the acting head of the training. Mieke Visser (tropical dr, MPH public health) & Maaike Flinkenflogel help with the training supported by Primafamed Edulink ACP EU project.
In this project SSA-universities collaborate around increasing the awareness of FM.
Mieke organised the community health rotation in the training (her report).
Maaike and Mieke wrote a paper on the Ruanda FM-traing in MT
The PM-fund supported in 2012 a two day extra training in practice management for the residents given by Pieter van den Hombergh (click for his lecture). See summary on this practice management course & the powerpoint and a report from april 2016 about the course for the 4th yr MBChB students from Marga Vintges & Mieke Article FM collaboration Rwanda
| Mieke Visser | Management course with Michael Miller, Mieke and students | |
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