This August 2012, thirteen Students from U.S Universities will partner with the Rwanda’s Ministry of Health facilitated by the Clinton Health Access Initiative to build a high-quality and sustainable health system in Rwanda.
The group will work around the clock to increase the number, quality and skill level of Rwandan clinicians and health sciences educators, including medical doctors (general practitioners, specialists and subspecialists), nurses and midwives, the program aims to build the health education infrastructure and workforce needed to create a sustainable health care system.
The seven-year Rwanda Human Resources for Health (HRH) Program was announced by former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Rwanda.
The U.S. faculty mentors will work for up to one year at four teaching hospitals in Kigali and Butare, as well as with district hospitals associated with diploma nursing programs in rural communities.
“Will be positioned to sustain the improved health workforce on its own without foreign aid,” said Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health in Rwanda.
“These U.S. academic institutions have made a commitment that is unprecedented in global health,” said Binagwaho. “The Rwanda HRH Program represents a new model for health education and for the delivery of foreign aid.
This project will also create a new paradigm for cooperation between U.S. academic institutions and academic institutions in Rwanda.”
This substantial growth of health care providers will be achieved with the assistance of an unprecedented consortium of top U.S. educational institutions.
Each school has committed to send full-time faculty members to Rwanda to help improve teaching, research, curriculum development, and mentorship.
The seven-year program, will benefit thousands of Rwandan health care practitioners to advance their teaching, research, primary care and specialty skills as part of the educational partnership, and the Rwanda government
One of the professor of nursing associate dean for global and community health initiatives and co-principal investigator from the Duke University, Dorothy Powell said: “It is exciting and such a privilege to partner with the Government of Rwanda in strengthening its educational system for nurses and physicians, which will ultimately assist Rwandans achieve a top-notch health care system for its people.”
Powell emphasized that “joining with leading U.S. schools of nursing and medicine is monumental; bringing together a combined level of expertise that will certainly ensure that Rwandan faculty and students will be exposed to and mentored by some of the best the world has to offer.
At the same time, we are fortunate to learn from Rwandans who are so visionary, committed and resilient.”
The group members will spend the majority of their time in the hospitals teaching teams of nurses, residents and medical students at the bedside and during clinical case discussions.