Workshop PHC Dep. Remera campus, University of Rwanda, College of Medicine and Health Sciences and visiting Partners in Health (PiH) sites Butaro (palliative care) and Rwinkwavu (social medicine) Junior clerkships medical students, February 2025

The PHC dep. team, L to R: Mieke, Vincent (former HoD), Claudine, Khelia, Similien, Elysee, Richard, Mojeed, Daniel, Francois, Boniface.

Aim of the workshop: Preparing and revising teaching materials of Module MED2256, SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE 2 (Occupation Health, Environment Health and Preventive Medicine); Uploading all teaching materials in Moodle to be used by lecturers and students.

Mieke Visser was invited by HoD Richard Nduwayezu to assist in organising the workshop.
10-12 February preparation workshop dr Richard Nduwayezu, dr Claudine Abibeshya and dr Mieke Visser
13-14 and 21 February workshop Department PHC

Attended by dr Richard Nduwayezu, dr Mojeed Gbadamosi, dr Daniel Byiringiro, dr Chantal Ingabire, dr Khelia Mahoro, dr Mieke Visser, Elysee Nsengiyumva and Francois Kalisa. The Units were assigned to PHC department faculty, responsible for revision,  updating and uploading teaching materials of Social and Community Medicine II training;

1. Population Health, – demography   
2. Health Systems Management, – traditional medicine, quality improvement, implementation of quality improvement projects, supervision and mentorship of community programs
3. Social Medicine, – occupational health, environmental health, one health, gender issues
4. Communication Skills, – patient-centered communication and consultation, relationship building, empathy, sympathy, health education, interdisciplinary communication, teaching and mentoring skills
5. Professionalism, – personal role, reflection, feedback, patients rights

New teaching materials have been created and uploaded in Moodle during the workshop, eg demography, traditional medicine, quality improvement projects, occupational health, patient-centered communication, and were shared with team members. These are used as examples for updating other new teaching materials.

The successful workshop was an important contribution to continuously improving the training materials of medical, dental and pharmacy students and the accessibility of these materials for students in Moodle.

NB Kamilla Laut, a Danish Social Medicine (societal medicine) specialist, who was in Rwanda to teach ISOCO in 2023, gave her input and feedback in the occupational medicine training materials.

Visit PiH sites Butaro and Rwinkwavu:
5-6 February Butaro hospital support supervision palliative care rotation 5^th year medical students,
See report dr Claudine Abibeshya.
19-20 February visit Rwinkwavu PiH site with dr Vincent Cubaka, Director of Knowledge and Research PiH. Dr Vincent gave a lecture to medical students who did the rotation in social and community medicine.

Pm fund provided the money for ticket costs (euro 1452,-) and allowance costs (80,-) for support supervision of faculty.

COMMUNICATION COURSE; March 2025 in Eldoret – Moi University – Kenya

Marianne Holtland and Pieter van den Hombergh were invited to organise a 4 day course in March 2025 for FM-trainees in Kenya. Topics were communication skills & management/organisation.
Kabarak University and Maseno University sent both 2 FM-registrars, while 5 came from Moi University.
In total 9 registrars attended. Akiruga – HoD of FM-training in Moi University Eldoret – was our host.
We did mostly co-teaching. Dr. Nthusi – HoD of FM-training in Kabarak University, Dr. Ouma Omondi – HoD of FM training in Maseno University and Dr. Akiruga – all gave lectures together with us and also attended most of the course.

The PM-fund provided the money (2890,-) for travelling, housing as well as for the meals and the conference room. The PM-fund receives WHIG-money from the RATO’s.
The course was a success and the evaluations were unanimously positive. 

A brief indication of our program: Introduction, Leary’s Rose, Patient Centered Consultation, Learning and Teaching Styles, Management skills, Breaking Bad News, ‘Meetings, Bloody meetings!’. End-evaluation.

Left to Right: Zappora (secretary), Grace, Marian, Akiruga, Pieter, Mellan, Valentine, Sharon, Rapenda, Sarah, Cynthia, Constan. Victor missing. Below Dr. Nthusi is teaching.

A publication sponsored by the PM-fund

Factors associated to hypertension knowledge and control in Kimpese, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Vainqueur et al. published a very relevant paper on this subject. Congratulations!!!
It is a first product of a collaboration of the WHIG and the Department of FM, School of Medicine, Protestant University of Congo, Kinshasa.
The PM-fund supports research in FM by registrars and Family Physicians. This is a first proof.

The paper is relevant for all those who want to start systematic hypertension treatment and not only in SSA.

Conclusion: There was propensity of uncontrolled hypertension and poor knowledge among the study participants. Poor socio-demographic conditions and a lack of accurate information on hypertension increased odds of poor knowledge of the disease. In addition, insufficient knowledge on hypertension and comorbidities were associated with uncontrolled hypertension.

The link to the paper

This paper of members of PRIMAFAMED gives an excellent update on the progress of FM-training in SSA. It is encouraging and gives important guidelines for what fields need to be addressed to take the training to a next level.

Het afscheid van Niek bij de universiteit van Utrecht was warm, lovend en interessant. Eigelijk gericht op de toekomst. De vrienden, staf en andere aanwezigen waren gul en het resultaat is 3000,- voor ons fonds.
We gaan met Niek als voorzitter verder met de besteding ervan aan “bevordering van Family Medicine” “projecten.

Niek, onze kersverse voorzitter neemt 6 juni afscheid van het UMC Utrecht
Het bestuur was blij dat hij vanaf nu meer energie wil steken in het bevorderen van de Family Medicine opleiding in Afrika. Hij heeft de genodigden gevraagd hun gift hieraan te doneren.
Het programma van dag en aanmelding

The year report 2022/23 reports on our activities in promoting FM-training in SSA. Coaching the students in their elective in Community Oriented PC in Rwanda, Training FM-trainees in Kenya and supporting the FM-training in Malawi are activities The PM-fund supports with its modest budget.

Marianne Holtland and Pieter van den Hombergh were invited to organise a 5 day course in communication skills in March this year. Family Medicine- trainees from different FM-training institutes in Kenya attended this course. Hans & Marianne Bakker-Holtland gave a similar course “The clinician as a teacher” before COVID broke out. Kabarak and Maseno University sent seven and three FM-registrars, while four came from Moi University. In total 14 registrars attended.
The PM-fund provided the money (2500,-) for travel, housing as well as meals and conference room costs. It was a great success and we got many very positive reactions.
Click for a report with the pictures