Postgraduate training in global health: ensuring UK doctors can contribute to health in resource-poor countries
Editor–It was encouraging to see the emphasis on medicine in resource-poor settings in the paper by Brown and colleagues (Clin Med October 2011 pp 456–60). The need is certainly great as highlighted by a recent review in the Lancet indicating that very few developing countries are likely to reach Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.1 Many of the difficulties are due to a lack of trained personnel, as well as a lack of resources.
It was especially interesting to see the emphasis being placed on the role of more junior doctors by Brown et al. Having completed my foundation years in Wales, I spent a year volunteering in Sierra Leone, West Africa, in a clinic for children aged 12 and under, in a heavily supervised post. I am now undertaking the DTM&H and hoping to apply into further training starting in August 2012. However, in the current system it is quite likely that taking this time out to focus on improving healthcare in the developing world may count against me on some of the more rigid application forms.
I know from experience in West Africa that doctors who have completed the foundation years are able to contribute significantly in terms of providing training for nurses and treating some of the more basic cases, as well as carrying out audits to ensure that good practice is being maintained. Doctors at this level also often have fewer family commitments so are more able to travel to these settings than some who are more senior. Unfortunately, many young doctors are afraid of doing this as there are fears it will disadvantage them in certain specialties. In contrast, this experience has greatly enhanced my clinical skills and given me a new clinical confidence, especially relating to teaching. Hopefully, articles such as the one mentioned above will lead to a more positive view of time out to work in developing settings and more opportunities to bring these new found skills back into the NHS.
Footnotes
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- © 2012 Royal College of Physicians
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