IAMP Selects Countries to Hold Local Workshops to Launch Report
Led by Dr. Bernie Jones, the InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP) has been disseminating the Commission report recommendations to its member medical academies, concentrating in regions with especially large numbers of low- and middle-income countries. The IAMP is a global organization based in Trieste, Italy that includes 71 national medical academies and science academies as members.
Dr. Jones reports that seven member academies have been selected to hold workshops in their countries “to further disseminate, discuss and assess for local relevance the conclusions and recommendations of the Commission report.”
Those selected from applications are:
• Bangladesh: tentatively scheduled for 19 May 2012 at the BRAC Centre Mohakhali, the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences’ one-day workshop will convene policy makers, medical professionals, academicians, University Grants Commission member, NGOs and news media.
• Cameroon: the Cameroon Academy of Sciences’ workshop will discuss report findings and how they might apply to the current situation of medical education in Cameroon and Africa by 30 invited academic presidents deans, vice deans, and chairs of esteemed scientific councils, forums and departments.
• Ghana: Fellows of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences will discuss local relevance of report recommendations to their considerable local challenges in addressing problems related to poverty, high birthrate, deficiencies in basic education for health, insufficiency of trained health manpower, and poor distribution of health care; prepare to release the report to the public; and put together a Communiqué for the Study of Government and Relevant Agencies.
• Nigeria: the Nigerian Academy of Science will convene key stakeholders in the health education sector in May 2012 to discuss the report and stimulate interest in developing follow-up activities for needed reforms in medical education in Nigeria.
• South Africa: Concerned with South Africa’s shortfall of 60,000-84,000 health professionals and “quadruple burden of disease” (HIV/AIDS and TB; maternal, infant and child mortality; non-communicable diseases; and injury and violence), the Academy of Science of South Africa plans a May workshop with about 40 participants from government, educational institutions and professional organizations.
• Sri Lanka: the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka, in partnership with the country’s University Grants Commission and the Forum for Sri Lankan Medical Educationists, an NGO, will hold two meetings to launch the report in Sri Lanka, including the one-day workshop in April 2012 with high-level officials in the Ministries of Higher Education and Health and the medical profession.
• Sweden: the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the Korolinska Institutet plans to hold a conference and workshop in June 2012 to which teachers and students of the 4 academies and 18 centers for education of health professionals in the Nordic countries will be invited.