Sharing the medical expertise of specialist individuals

There are opportunities for individuals from developed countries who are interested in offering their professional services at IMG. These opportunities are offered through a programme which is tailored to meet the needs of the visiting professional and IMG as a whole, so both achieve maximum benefit. Those interested could be retired professionals.

It has occasionally been the case that when professionals offer their services to developing countries they are frustrated by the lack of a meaningful program prepared by the hosting medical facility, or the facilities are inadequate for the practice of their specialty.

This can easily be overcome with the dedicated staff and proper organization at IMG. Indeed, patient from rural areas can be brought in to IMG to be treated by visiting specialists who need to make use of equipment which may be lacking in the rural setting

The skills of the visiting professional can be utilised for treatment, as well as training and raising of standards at IMG.

Nursing Training School

The non-profit nursing school is located on the site of the old International Hospital Kampala. Learning at the school is problem based at registered or comprehensive level, with short specialist nursing courses. Funding for the nursing school is from course fees and donations.

Collaboration with a medical professionals and a nursing school abroad would introduce concepts that are often missed in the training of nurses in developing countries. For example, training in the subspecialties of nursing such as Intensive Care is unavailable in Uganda at the moment.

Such training could be acquired through bringing in specialists with the expertise to teach, and through having the opportunity to send local nurses to teaching institutions abroad.

The nursing school in the developing country can also provide the opportunity for electives for nurses from the institution in the developed country.

Provision of expertise to train local anesthetists for intensive care

This could be done on a rotational basis, where anesthetists come out for periods of four weeks or more and supervise and train the local staff. Local staff could also be taken to medical institutions in developed countries for short periods of training.

Research

There has always been much scope for research in the developing world much of the early research in the epidemiology of certain cancers and the development of the concept of community health came from Uganda itself. There are numerous research questions that are not being investigated, simply because of the lack of manpower and resources.

Sourcing of specialised equipment

The capital cost and maintenance cost of some of this equipment cannot be justified in terms of the financial return, so it is necessary to source second-hand or subsidized equipment. Such equipment can be made available at minimal cost to the developing country institution.

The maintenance of high tech medical equipment

This is problematic in a developing country, as there are few or no main agents for such specialized equipment and even the supply of small parts and disposables can be problematic.

This area requires excellent contacts with biomedical departments in hospitals in developed countries, plus biomedical technicians trained to a high level.

Sub-specialties of medicine

The equipment for such areas (e.g. endoscopes or operating microscopes) is relatively less expensive and is easy to source by the developing country institution. A high standard of service would be ensured by regular visits by an expert, who would see patients and train local surgeons in accurate diagnosis, treatment and the maintenance of high standards.

Telemedicine

With the correct facilities this can be used for accurate diagnosis by the developing country and for teaching purposes by the developed country. It would be of particular benefit in the areas of radiography and pathology.

Specialist treatment for patients in rural hospitals

Such a relationship between the two medical facilities would also be beneficial to rural hospitals. For example, patients could be transferred from Kiwoko Mission Hospital in Luwero to International Hospital Kampala to avail them specialist services made available by a collaboration with an outside medical facility.