Paediatric Training Programme in Sierra Leone (PTP)
Situation:
Sierra Leone suffers from poverty, inadequate healthcare and food insecurity. Many people lack access to clean water, education and key resources and services. The effects of the civil war and the Ebola epidemic are still being felt. Climate change and economic instability further exacerbate the situation.
Objectives:
Contribution to the long-term reduction of infant mortality in Sierra Leone through improved care for newborns and children.
- The number of students who successfully completed their theses increased from four to 32. In addition, at least four students completed their internship year in 2027 and received their permanent licence.
- The number of paediatric mortality conferences in the project hospitals in which PTP students have participated has increased from 125 to 180.
- The number of trained paediatric clinical officers teaching during the theory modules (senior PTP students) has increased from two to ten.
- Organizing and conducting selection processes for new students
- Delivering theoretical instruction and coordinating practical training/clinical rotations
- Administering final examinations for program completion
- Guiding and supporting students during their housemanship
- Planning and facilitating retreats and union meetings for students
- Strengthening service delivery capacities in partner hospitals
- Providing supervision and guidance to students through qualified trainers
- Recruiting and selecting new local trainers
- Mentoring and supporting newly recruited local trainers, with the involvement of senior PTP students
The trained clinical officers will work as paediatricians in state health facilities and thus contribute in the long term to improving paediatric care in Sierra Leone and thus sustainably reducing child mortality due to improved care. Another particularly sustainable aspect is that the programme was developed and implemented in close cooperation with the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health and the School of Clinical Science and is officially affiliated to the University of Sierra Leone as a Bachelor's degree course. In the long term, the programme is to be handed over to the Sierra Leonian state.
The training of Clinical Officers in paediatrics in combination with mentoring and supervision during the practical semesters after the final examination is a novelty in Sierra Leone. Another special feature is that the qualification is only valid in Sierra Leone, thus ensuring that the trained clinical officers strengthen the Sierra Leonean health system in the long term.
Further information: https://www.german-doctors.de
