Title: Advanced training for medical and technical professionals to work with modern high-technology equipment in Uzbekistan
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Uzbekistan
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Health
Overall term: 2014 to 2016
Context
Public spending on health in Uzbekistan has increased significantly in recent years. Since the beginning of 2000, investments in infrastructure and medical equipment for health facilities have increased by an average of seven per cent each year. Many items of medical equipment have been acquired by the government and through donor-funded projects. The new equipment includes some of the latest high-tech medical devices for imaging, laboratory diagnostics, anaesthetics, intensive care and endoscopy. So far, however, the efficient and effective use of this equipment has been hindered by the lack of qualified personnel and management shortcomings in the procurement processes, including a lack of maintenance contracts and inadequate logistics. This directly affects the quality of the health services and is impeding the introduction of advanced diagnoses and treatments.
Objective
Modern, high-tech medical equipment is used effectively and efficiently in selected clinical areas.
Approach
The project supports the training of medical and technical personnel in a number of clinical areas, and includes the following components.
1. Advanced training for medical staff in the use of modern medical technologies
2. Introduction and establishment of an inventory system to keep a central record of existing medical equipment in Uzbekistan
3. Advanced training for experienced technicians and engineers in systematic, preventive maintenance of medical equipment
Results
As part of the project, numerous training courses have been organised since August 2012, both in Uzbekistan and abroad. A new training centre for medical imaging methods (computerised tomography/magnetic resonance imaging/digital X-ray) and less invasive forms of surgery has been established at the Republican Scientific Centre of Emergency Medical Care. The project has provided training materials, such as laparoscopic mannequins, training aids, desk computers and office furniture.
A working group, consisting of staff from the Tashkent Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education, the Republican Perinatal Centre and the Republican Scientific Centre of Emergency Medical Care, has developed a strategy for ensuring the sustainability of the training measures as part of the curriculum.
At the same time, through close cooperation with German and French teaching hospitals and specialised training centres, the project has supported improvements in the training provided to Uzbek teaching staff. In this respect, collaboration has also taken place with medical device manufacturers, Karl Storz and Siemens, whose training centres in Russia were used.
In 2013 and 2014, as part of the project, nearly 300 specialists in endo-surgery were trained, as well as 159 radiologists, 64 medical technicians and 123 theatre nurses.
The computerised inventory system ‘openMEDIS’, developed by the Swiss Centre for International Health – the service provider of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) – has been introduced and successfully tested at one of the pilot facilities.
Workshops on planning and the procurement of medical equipment have been held in cooperation with international institutes such as ECRI in London, Swiss TPH and the French Resah Institute.