Three senior fellows of the West African College of Physicians (WACP) who have led joint RCP / WACP activity in West Africa were awarded fellowship at yesterday afternoon's ceremony.
Dr Albert Akpalu (WACP Assistant Secretary General), and Professor Babatunde Salako have been instrumental in coordinating the current M-PACT clinical training project, with Dr Akpalu coordinating training courses in Ghana and Professor Salako coordinating courses in Nigeria. Dr Ramatoulie Njie holds the position of RCP international adviser for The Gambia.
The RCP enjoys a longstanding relationship with the WACP, with the first major collaboration beginning in 2009:
2009 - 2012: ‘Health system strengthening through partnership’
The first major RCP / WACP collaboration was a three year programme which addressed critical weaknesses in in postgraduate medical training by delivering specialist training and providing mentorship to emerging health leaders. RCP and WACP volunteers delivered 108 days of clinical training and trained 120 West African physicians in educational methods required for postgraduate medical training.
2015: Non-communicable diseases (NCD) training programme
During 2015 the RCP and WACP delivered a clinical training project aimed at reducing the rising burden of diabetes, hypertension and obesity in Nigeria and Ghana. Volunteers delivered intensive week-long clinical skills courses and 2-week clinical teaching visits to community hospitals which were identified by the WACP as requiring support to strengthen clinical training in NCDs.
2015 – present: Millennium Development Goal 6 Partnership for African Clinical Training (M-PACT)
M-PACT is a 3-year collaboration which supports the focus of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6 – combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, by increasing access to high-quality clinical training on managing and treating these diseases. Year 2, during which seven clinical courses were delivered (reaching a total of 267 doctors), concluded in June, and the third and final year of the collaboration starts this September.