Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the eighth international postgraduate training course on:
RATIONAL MANAGEMENT OF MEDICINES - A FOCUS ON HIV/AIDS, TB AND MALARIA
3 November - 14 November 2008
Ifakara, Tanzania
CONTENTS OVERVIEW
Health is an intrinsic human right as well as a central input to poverty reduction and socioeconomic development. Cost-effective interventions including medicines for controlling major diseases exist, but a lack of money for health and a range of system constraints hamper efforts to expand health services to the poor.
From penicillin to insulin, antiseptics to antiretrovirals, science has led to dramatic improvements in health worldwide. Medicines are an essential and cost-effective tool of health care and an important element of health systems. Yet the main diseases of poverty such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis continue to claim innumerable lives in low income countries. Today, for millions of people worldwide essential medicines remain unavailable and unaffordable. Irrational medicine use is a global public health problem. Counterfeit and poor quality medicines are an additional barrier to equitable access to medicines. Millions of adults and children die each year from treatable and preventable diseases. There is an urgent need to develop adequate strategies that ensure better access to medicines. It is about getting evidence-based and effective medicines to the people who need them, whether by reducing their costs, promoting research and development, improving their distribution, increasing their efficacy and acceptability, or slowing down the development of antimicrobial resistance.
Rational medicine policy and management is critically important in view of constrained health budgets to achieve efficiency, equity and quality of health care in pluralistic health systems.
OBJECTIVES
To enable health professionals to understand and apply the concepts and principles of essential medicines and rational medicine management with a focus on the diseases of poverty HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, to recognise the need for a national and international medicine policy environment, to improve knowledge and skills and to gain practical field experience for rational medicine management within different health system contexts.
COURSE TOPICS
Historic milestones and current global medicine situation Concept of essential medicines and its relevance in primary health care Concept and principles of rational medicine management in pluralistic and reforming health systems Roles of different stakeholders including health workers, traditional healers, research organisations and the pharmaceutical industry
The international context, global treaties and national medicine policy
Treatment guidelines, essential medicine lists and personal medicine lists
Patterns of medicine use, strategies for the promotion of rational medicine use, community medicine use Antimicrobial resistance and approaches for containment
Medicine quality and quality assurance
Rational management of HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis related
Framework and components of a medicine supply system including procurement and distribution
Elements of medicine costs, affordability and financing options
Critical medicine information management
TARGET GROUP
Health professionals and managers with experience (at least two years) in international health and the pharmaceutical sector.
DURATION
2 weeks (90 hours student investment time). Equivalent to 3 ECTS points towards the TropEd European Master in International Health. A certificate will be awarded after successful completion.
COURSE FORMAT
The course language is English. The course combines lectures, in-depth discussions of case studies, short presentations, small group exercises and field visits. The course is highly participatory and participants will be exposed to a wide range of international experiences and materials.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Please contact the course secretariat for an application form. Application deadline: 31 August 2008
COURSE FEE
The total course fee is CHF 2300.- (Swiss Francs) including tuition, accommodation/full board and must be paid 8 weeks before the start of the course. This sum includes the registration fee (CHF 100.-) which is due at the moment of acceptance. If a participant does not attend the course, the registration fee cannot be reimbursed. If cancellation is less than 4 weeks before beginning of the course an additional fee of CHF 500.- will be charged. Cost for international flights must be added. Travel to Tanzania has to be organized by the participant.
There are only very limited scholarships available for this course.
LOCATION
Tanzania Training Centre for International Health in Ifakara, Tanzania. Next to a successful research institution (IHRDC) and the renovated St. Francis Designated District Hospital with 370 beds, a modern and well equipped campus for teaching and training is available in a remote rural region of Tanzania about 420 km South West of Dar es Salaam that is reached by train or road. The many interfaces between theoretical and practical training make Ifakara a focal point for teaching and research in beautiful Tanzania.
COURSE FACULTY
The course is facilitated by international and national experts. The academic panel will include a number of highly experienced professionals from MEDUNSA (Limpopo), Phasuma, Nuffield (Leeds), STI, WHO, Tanzanian MOH, MSH and IHRDC.
COURSE COORDINATOR
Dr. Karin Wiedenmayer (STI)
CONTACT ADDRESS
Swiss Tropical Institute
Course Secretariat
Socinstrasse 57
P.O Box
CH - 4002 Basel / Switzerland
Tel.: + 41 61 284 82 80
Fax: + 41 61 284 81 06
E-mail: mailto:courses-sti@unibas.ch
Internet: http://www.sti.ch
THE SWISS TROPICAL INSTITUTE
The Swiss Tropical Institute (STI) was founded in 1943. The STI offers an interdisciplinary approach to research, teaching and services in the field of International Health.
The aim of the STI is to contribute to the improvement of the health of populations internationally and nationally through excellence in research, services and teaching and training. Activities of the Institute in the framework of national and international mandates have led to its world-wide recognition in the field of International Health.
The STI has significant expertise in the pharmaceutical sector with teaching and training, research, clinical trials, assessments and implementation verification and international development cooperation. STI offers postgraduate courses in various topics for health staff.
TROPED
A collaborative network of 27 Tropical Institutes and related institutions in 13 different countries in Europe offers a joint modular Master‘s Curriculum in International Health (MIH). The modular structure allows the studies to be spread over 5 years.
For further information: www.troped.org
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Karin Wiedenmayer
mailto:Karin.Wiedenmayer@unibas.ch