The document discusses how Sudan's University of Gezira Faculty of Medicine has successfully trained and retained health professionals in rural areas. The school integrates its teaching programs with the country's health services and aims to train 1,000 family physicians for rural care. It also trains village midwives in emergency obstetric and neonatal care, integrating them into the government health system. This led to exceeding a target of reducing maternal and prenatal mortality by 50% in five years. The positive results have encouraged replicating the approach elsewhere in Sudan.

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Poor countries can keep doctors local
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Countries are using innovative schemes to train and retain health
professionals — but they need support, says WHO expert Manuel M.
Dayrit.
Success in Sudan
In Sudan, the University ofGezira Faculty of Medicine is already reaping rewards from a
community-based curriculum established in 1978. [2] The school capitalizes on a close
working relationship with the Federal and State Ministries ofHealth to integrate its
teaching programmes with the health service delivery activities ofgovernment agencies.
When SAMSS interviewed Gezira students in early 2010, it found "prevention is better
than cure" ingrained in the students' thought processes. The school aims to train 1,000
family physicians in the coming years to increase the capacity to deliver care in rural areas,
particularly in Gezira State. [2]

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In 2005 the school also began to train village midwives in emergency obstetric and neonatal
care, successfully integrating them into the government-funded health system.
According to Professor Elhassan Elhassan, who heads the dissemination ofthe initiative,the
programme exceeded its target ofreducing maternal and prenatal mortality by 50 per cent
in five years. Field research has also shown a reduction in 2010. The results have
encouraged Gezira University to promote the approach in other states in Sudan.
Manuel M. Dayrit MD, MSc is director of the WHO Department of Human Resources
for Health in Geneva, Switzerland. He has served as secretary of health of the
Philippines.
References:
[1] SAMSS site visit report [895kB] — Faculty of Health Sciences, Jimma University,
Ethiopia (SAMSS, 2009)
[2] SAMSS site visit report — Faculty of Medicine, University of Gezira, Wad Madani,
Sudan [1.29MB] (SAMSS, 2010)
[3] Bringing health to rural communities: Innovations of the U.P. Manila School of
Health Sciences (University of the Philippines, 2011)