M-PACT (Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6 Partnership for African Clinical Training) was a 3-year project, sponsored by the Ecobank Foundation, and run by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in partnership with the West African College of Physicians (WACP).
West Africa has among the highest incidence and prevalence rates of HIV, TB and malaria in the world. In 2015, 88% of new malaria cases identified were in sub-Saharan Africa and 1 in every 25 adults in the region is now estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. The TB burden also remains high, with a fatality ratio in most countries in the region of around 20%.
The training equipped me well and I was able to help in stopping the spread of Lassa fever in my home community recently.
Key outcomes
With the support of the Ecobank Foundation, the RCP has been working with the WACP to support the implementation of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6 – ‘Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases’:
- three training centres of excellence established in Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal
- 582 doctors from 12 nations across West Africa upskilled in the diagnosis, treatment and management of HIV, TB and malaria
- capacity of the WACP to deliver infectious disease training strengthened
- over 5,000 healthcare professionals estimated to have benefited from the training.
