The Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Training Programme was a great success - setting up two high-quality NCD clinical courses in Nigeria and Ghana, and establishing two NCD teaching visit sites each in both countries.
Non-communicable diseases training summary
The Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Training Programme was a 1-year project (2015), sponsored by Pfizer, and delivered by the RCP in partnership with the WACP. The project aimed to reduce the rising burden of diabetes, hypertension and obesity in West Africa by increasing access to specialist physicians who are equipped to accurately diagnose and manage the treatment of these diseases.
Clinical training courses and teaching visits (site-based clinical training) were delivered by members of the RCP who are UK-based consultants or senior physicians, alongside senior faculty of the WACP in Ghana and Nigeria. This project built on the health system strengthening work already delivered by the RCP and the WACP in partnership since 2009, as well as the ongoing Millennium Development Goal (MDG)-6 Partnership for African Clinical Training (MPACT).
I have learnt in one week as much as I had learnt in one year previously. I have all the facilities to provide liver services and I will certainly take [Professor Aithal’s] messages to my practice to improve the liver services there
Overall, the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Training Programme was a great success; setting up two high-quality NCD clinical courses in Nigeria and Ghana, and establishing two NCD teaching visit sites each in both countries.
Sixty-three doctors completed the two clinical courses and four hospitals hosted specialists for teaching visits in Nigeria and Ghana. Over 1,000 clinical staff will benefit from the knowledge gained on the clinical courses through mentoring by course participants at home facilities.
