Health Professional Training and Capacity Strengthening Through International Academic Partnerships: The First Five Years of the Human Resources for Health Program in Rwanda

Abstract

Background: The Rwanda Human Resources for Health Program (HRH Program) is a 7-year (2012-2019) health professional training initiative led by the Government of Rwanda with the goals of training a large, diverse, and competent health workforce and strengthening the capacity of academic institutions in Rwanda. Methods: The data for this organizational case study was collected through official reports from the Rwanda Ministry of Health (MoH) and 22 participating US academic institutions, databases from the MoH and the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) in Rwanda, and surveys completed by the co-authors. Results: In the first 5 years of the HRH Program, a consortium of US academic institutions has deployed an average of 99 visiting faculty per year to support 22 training programs, which are on track to graduate almost 4600 students by 2019. The HRH Program has also built capacity within the CMHS by promoting the recruitment of Rwandan faculty and the establishment of additional partnerships and collaborations with the US academic institutions. Conclusion: The milestones achieved by the HRH Program have been substantial although some challenges persist. These challenges include adequately supporting the visiting faculty; pairing them with Rwandan faculty (twinning); ensuring strong communication and coordination among stakeholders; addressing mismatches in priorities between donors and implementers; the execution of a sustainability strategy; and the decision by one of the donors not to renew funding beyond March 2017. Over the next 2 academic years, it is critical for the sustainability of the 22 training programs supported by the HRH Program that the health-related Schools at the CMHS significantly scale up recruitment of new Rwandan faculty. The HRH Program can serve as a model for other training initiatives implemented in countries affected by a severe shortage of health professionals.

The magnitude and Associated Factors of Pneumonia Among Under-Five Children in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Children who were not ever supplemented with Vitamin A were almost three times more likely to develop pneumonia as compared to children who got Vitamin A supplementation. This finding is in agreement with that of a study done in Rwanda [40]. This may due to the fact that the role of vitamin A is essential in the growth and development of respiratory epithelial cells and lung tissue [41].…”

The politics and practice of initiating a public health postgraduate programme in three universities in sub-Saharan Africa: the challenges of alignment and coherence

“…The findings of this investigation complement those of earlier studies that attributed the lack of diversity in training programmes in LMICs to the multifaceted shortage of resources facing training institutions including faculty and support staff, funding, capacity to develop teaching material and curriculum, and teaching spaces [10,11,13,47,48]. This has been evident particularly in the context of University A, where the institution has fewer programmes than University B or University C due to lack of resources and support.…”

Voluntourism

“…For example, in partnership with the Rwandan Ministry of Health, multiple US medical schools have joined the Rwanda Human Resources for Health (HRH) Program, which began in 2012. 12,13 The program seeks to address the shortage of health care professionals in Rwanda by increasing the number of faculty at the University of Rwanda's medical, nursing, and midwifery schools. 13 Between 2012 and 2017, visiting faculty from US institutions such as Dartmouth and Harvard have spent anywhere from 2 to 12 months in the program annually, with approximately 55% of faculty staying for more than 6 months and approximately 52% returning at least once.…”

“…12,13 The program seeks to address the shortage of health care professionals in Rwanda by increasing the number of faculty at the University of Rwanda's medical, nursing, and midwifery schools. 13 Between 2012 and 2017, visiting faculty from US institutions such as Dartmouth and Harvard have spent anywhere from 2 to 12 months in the program annually, with approximately 55% of faculty staying for more than 6 months and approximately 52% returning at least once. 13 As Cancedda et al note, visiting and existing faculty and students collaborate on a "variety of training, research, and health service delivery activities" and "continuing professional development programs."…”

“…13 Between 2012 and 2017, visiting faculty from US institutions such as Dartmouth and Harvard have spent anywhere from 2 to 12 months in the program annually, with approximately 55% of faculty staying for more than 6 months and approximately 52% returning at least once. 13 As Cancedda et al note, visiting and existing faculty and students collaborate on a "variety of training, research, and health service delivery activities" and "continuing professional development programs." At the same time, "Rwandan faculty and students have traveled to the United States to give lectures, participate in clinical clerkships, and pursue further training, while others have presented their work at ...…”