|
The knowledge of diabetes is very weak among the Malian health care personnel and improved competences in the area are therefore needed.
During the on-going implementation of WDF-supported "Nutrition and diabetes management" (WDF04-074) in Mali an urgent need for trained health care personnel in the field of diabetes has been identified.
Apart from basic diabetes training in medical schools, no other training on diabetes is available - this is despite the fact that the prevalence of diabetes is about 2% and that the disease constitutes the second largest cause of hospitalization in the capital, Bamako.
Also, experience from the first project in Mali indicates a need for establishment of patient groups in order for the diabetic patients to meet and support each other in facing the difficulties associated with diabetes.
Objective
The project seeks to train health care personnel on diabetes care and strengthen patient groups and diabetes associations.
Approach
The project consists of two components, each addressing an important area in the effort to improve the conditions for people with diabetes in Mali. The first component is aimed at training health care personnel, whereas the second component focuses on establishment of patient groups.
The training component includes adaptation to a Malian context of a training programme developed by Tanzania Diabetes Association under another WDF-supported project "Diabetes Clinics (WDF02-031) in Tanzania.
Two diabetes specialists will be responsible for training 12 selected doctors from three intervention zones. These doctors will be trained to become educators for other doctors from their own regions, using a training-of-trainers approach.
A total of 100 health care professionals will be trained and acquire competences in the area of diabetes management. Furthermore, a young doctor will be specialized in diabetology.
Component 1 will be supplemented by component 2, focusing on establishment and strengthening of patient groups. 12 smaller groups will be facilitated. These groups are expected to function as a basis for providing counselling as well as psychological and peer support to people living with diabetes.
It will be attempted to create bonds between these patient groups and the Malian Diabetes Association. Also, the groups will be supported to carry out lobbying for awareness and rights in relation to diabetes.
Expected impact
- 100 health care providers trained
- Standards of care, diagnosis, referral and prevention of complications improved
- Support and dialogue groups for patients and their relatives enabled
- Strengthened capacity of patients for lobbying for rights
|
