The network - Towards Unity For Health

IMPROVING HEALTHJMHPE: THIRD GROUP OF GRADUATESOn Sunday the 27 th of April 2008, the thirdgroup of fellows graduated from the JointMaster of Health Professions Education(JMHPE) programme, developed in collaborationbetween Maastricht University (the Netherlands)and Suez Canal University (Egypt).Two years after the graduation of the pioneergroup of seven, and one year after the secondgroup of 20 graduates, another 19 fellowsfollowed in their footsteps. Thirteen of themgraduated with honours, which means thatthey have received an eight on a ten-pointscale for at least half of their unit registrationsat first attempt. Ten countries in theArab region were represented: Egypt, Bahrain,Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Jordan, Syria,Palestine, United Arab Emirates and Iraq.The success of a programme can be measuredby different parameters: the number of graduates,the number of applicants for the nextclass, and the regional attraction of the programme.All of these aspects show evidenceof the success of this joint programme:• The enrolment increased in the first threeyears from 10 and seems to have stabilisednow at about 30 participants.• In the first group, seven of the ten participantscame from Egyptian universities andthe remaining three from the East Mediterraneanregion. In 2008, 14 of the 30 participantsstill come from Egypt, 12 from theregion and two from beyond the region.The JMHPE degree is a reward, but it is also aresponsibility. The career developments of someof the fellows who graduated earlier bear witnessto this: their further career paths includea Deanship, Head of a Clinical Resource Centreand Coordinator of the JMHPE programme!We are proud of the high standard of thesepioneers in health professions education reformin the Arab world, and we wish the graduatesmuch success in this exciting endeavour.Jan van Dalen and Wagdy Talaat |JMHPE DirectorsEmail: j.vandalen@sk.unimaas.nl;watalaat@ismailia.ie-eg.comHEALTH AUTHORITIESWhat Would I Changeif I Were Minister of Health?Starting the process of change is usuallydifficult, but a comprehensive nationalhealth insurance programme in Jordan is adream that has to be brought into reality.Every citizen, regardless of colour, religionor place of residence, has the right toreceive the best quality of healthcare.Health services should be accessible tothose areas and people with the highestneed for such services, focusing in particularon tackling inequities in health.Healthcare workers should be encouragedto upgrade and update their knowledgeand skills through participation in local,regional or international activities thataim at improving their clinical, researchand communication skills. The Ministry ofHealth should cover the expenses of theseactivities and offer incentives for thosewho attend them. Moreover, teaching/training programmes would be plannedand conducted in collaboration with medicalschools, teaching hospitals, associationsof health professions, NGOs andinternational organisations.Research in health sciences is very important;it helps planners in setting up priorities,assessing achievements and formulationof health policies. Quality of care,professional achievements and researchwould be taken into consideration in decisionsrelated to promotions and incentives.I would concentrate on improvingthe reporting and documentation systemsand set a registry for communicable andnon-communicable diseases to form anational data-base for health planningand policy making.An important issue is the improvement ofthe efficiency of budget allocation, andspending directed at health promotion tothe public. It is important to attract non-budgetary funds, foreign investments andinternational organisations’ funds forDr. Darwish Badranfinancing target programmes and capacitybuilding of public health services. Directorsof hospitals, health centres and specificprogrammes would be authorised to spendfrom the funds they raise.I would help in the creation of a system ofregulations, policies, procedures and standardsin the field of health and care,including medical aid, private practice andpatients’ referral, pharmaceutical industryand medical products.Finally, improving working and living standardsof health personnel should go handin hand with implementing these changes;this will give them more job satisfactionand increase their productivity, which willbe reflected on the standards of healthcarein the country.Darwish Badran | Director, Centre forEducational Development, University ofJordan, JordanEmail: dhbadran@ju.edu.joD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 N E W S L E T T E R N U M B E R 0 2 | V O L U M E 2 717