- Published:
- 27 June 2024
- Author:
- Kelley Price
- Read time:
- 4 Mins
The Global Health Workforce project has continued to achieve success in advocating for training and workforce development. This article details recent events with the College’s partner organisations in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.
The Global Health Workforce project, now in its second quarter after its launch in February, has successfully laid the foundations that will help steer the project’s ongoing activity.
We have established a project board comprising 9 active members and 3 observers, including its chair, Professor John Obafunwa, the College’s International Regional Representative for Sub-Saharan Africa. Our partnering organisations, including the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Aga Khan University in Kenya and the Association for Laboratory Medicine in the UK, are all represented.
Together, we have agreed the project board’s terms of reference and formed a memorandum of understanding that outlines the key collaboration areas.
- Review key chemical pathology curricula with a view to harmonising standards for chemical pathology fellowship training (last 2 years) in Kenya in concert with representatives from the NPMCN, the West African College of Physicians (WACP) and the Aga Khan University.
- Set up a mentoring scheme with Nigerian chemical pathologists to mentor 2 chemical pathologists in Ghana
- Undertake 2 scoping visits: to Ghana to make recommendations on training the chemical pathologists to fellowship standard; to Kenya to make recommendations on establishing a chemical pathology fellowship programme. We aim to establish a fellowship programme as a longer-term goal, dependent on further funding.
- Pilot the delivery of a virtual certificate course for point-of-care testing (12 weeks) to be made available to Kenyan chemical pathologists.
- Provide quarterly CPD-accredited virtual continued medical education (CME) opportunities to support existing chemical pathologists and related healthcare professionals, underpinned by monthly virtual case reports with colleagues in the UK. These focus on the management of metabolic clinics and monthly case report sessions/case selection.
- Provide a CPD-accredited virtual day for already-qualified chemical pathologists and related healthcare professionals focussing on recent advances in chemical pathology, to boost their learning and development.
In February, the Tropical Health Education Trust (THET), which is coordinating the entire Global Health Workforce programme and its health partnerships on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, held in-person launch events with representation from our health partnership.
Dr Iregbu, Country Advisor for Nigeria, and Dr Akande Adeyinka participated at the event in Abuja. Dr Solomon Quayson attended the meeting in Acra, while Dr Shaheen Sayed and Dr Daniel Maina attended in Nairobi. These inception meetings provided an opportunity to meet various agencies serving across all 3 countries. Participants were addressed by representatives of the governments of their nations through the Ministry of Health.
From left to right: Kelley Price, RCPath International Projects Officer, Mr Sam Munga, THET representative for Kenya and Joanne Brinklow, RCPath Director for Learning.
UK summit
Joanne Brinklow, Director of Learning, and Kelley Price, International Projects Officer, also attended the second day of the THET UK–Africa Health Summit in London, which all grant holders in the UK were requested to join.
The Summit featured a series of inspiring keynote speeches from renowned global health experts, including Professor Dame Sally Davies, the UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance. Professor Dame Davies will be our keynote speaker for the virtual International Pathology Day conference on the 6 November.
Another key focus of the event was the need for persistent investment in health workforce development. A strong, supported and motivated workforce is essential for effective healthcare delivery. Additionally, the invaluable contributions of diaspora health workers to global health were highlighted, stressing the importance of moral recruitment practices that benefit both their countries of origin and destination, in a way that promotes ‘brain gain’ and not ‘brain drain’.
In April, we successfully delivered our first quarterly webinar titled ‘The role of a clinical laboratory in combating the challenges of drug abuse’. The programme included 3 lectures.
The opening slide of the first quarterly webinar held on Wednesday 24 April.
An overview of drug abuse menace and its burden in a developing country
This talk was given by Dr Ojo Moses, Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of Drug Use Disorders Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit, from the Federal Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, Nigeria.
Laboratory screening and confirmatory tests for commonly abused drugs
Dr Daniel Maina, Consultant Clinical Pathologist and Assistant Professor at the Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi, Kenya, gave a talk on laboratory screening and confirmatory tests.
Therapeutic drug monitoring program in a clinical setting
Dr Adeyinka, Professor of Chemical Pathology at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, presented on therapeutic drug monitoring.
95 chemical pathologists have been nominated to participate in the CPD/CME activities offered by the project until January 2025. The participants include 79 from Nigeria, 2 from Ghana and 15 from Kenya. Of those nominated, 49 (42.7%) attended the webinar: 46 from Nigeria, 2 from Ghana and 1 from Kenya.
Additionally, 44 individuals who were not formally selected also participated in the webinar.
As we move on into the summer, we will deliver case report sessions and plan for further deliverables.
Meet the author
-
Kelley Price
International Projects Officer
Return to the July 2024 Bulletin
