E-DRUG: Last call for DTC/TOT course, Kampala, Uganda, January 2008
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Announcement for Uganda Drug and Therapeutics Training Course
The Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Department of Pharmacy at the Faculty of Medicine, Makerere University, Uganda, will host a Regional Training Course on Drug and Therapeutics Committees and Training of Trainers, January 6–19, 2008, in Kampala, Uganda.
The course is organized by the Makerere University Faculty of Medicine, Uganda Ministry of Health, National Drug Authority, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Rational Pharmaceutical Management (RPM) Plus Program/Management Sciences for Health (MSH), World Health Organization/Uganda, and INRUD/Uganda.
Who Should Attend?
• Physicians, pharmacists and health officials in hospitals, ministries of health, university, or private organizations
• Those interested in improving formulary management and promoting rational medicines use through drug and therapeutics committees (DTCs), and are in a position to provide training and technical assistance to other DTCs
• Candidates with some experience with DTCs who wish to expand their knowledge of drug management and train others back in their country/region
Course Focus
The first nine days of the training course will focus on the role of the DTC and practical approaches available in promoting rational medicines use. Key features will include—
• Formulary management
• Monitoring and identifying medicine use problems
• Interventions to change inappropriate medicine use including standard treatment guidelines
• Practical aspects of running a DTC
• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—the DTC’s role in addressing AMR in the health care facility setting
Training of Trainers
The last two days of the course will focus on training of trainers (TOT) aspects, building on the DTC materials. This part of the course is designed to help the participants to better prepare themselves to provide DTC-related training to others in their respective countries and regions. Key features of the TOT include discussions of teaching/learning methods, communication skills, and presentation/facilitation techniques.
Design and Methods
The highly participatory course will be conducted in English and consist of—
• Presentations
• Discussions
• Small-group activities
• Field visits
The DTC training will be based on materials developed by RPM Plus/MSH in collaboration with WHO. It will encourage participants to exchange experiences and ideas, adding depth to the learning process. This will expose them to a wide range of international experiences and training materials. The TOT training will be based on the materials developed by RPM Plus/MSH. The course materials will emphasize—
• Structure and function of a DTC
• Formulary management
• Assessing medicine efficacy, safety, quality
• Cost evaluation of formulary medicines
• Identifying and understanding medicine use problems
• Medicine use indicators
• Strategies to improve medicine use
• Standard treatment guidelines
• Medicine use evaluation
• Strategies to address AMR
• Infection control
• Local hospital field study
• TOT—Adult learning and teaching methods, communication, and presentation and facilitation skills
The training program includes time for developing work plans for future DTC work and activities. After the course, follow-up and technical assistance will be provided by Makerere and RPM Plus staff to implement DTCs in the participant’s home country.
Facilitators
Prof. Jasper Ogwal-Okeng is a Professor of Pharmacology and Dean and Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor of Gulu University. Before joining Gulu, he was Head of Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Makerere University; and Medical Superintendent and District Medical Officer of Lira Hospital and Lira district respectively. Prof. Ogwal-Okeng has been a lead person and facilitator in a number of local and international medicine use training workshops in Uganda. He also works with the Ministry of Health to organize and conduct in-service training for district health care staff.
Prof. David Ofori-Adjei studied medicine at the University of Ghana, and completed his postgraduate training in Ghana and Scotland. He was trained in Clinical Pharmacology at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm. Currently, he is the Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana, Legon, and is Professor in Tropical Clinical Pharmacology, and in Medicine and Therapeutics. Professor Ofori-Adjei has worked closely with Ghana’s Ministry of Health on malaria control and on public sector pharmaceutical management. He is a technical advisor to Ghana’s National Drugs Program and Core Group Leader of International Network for the Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD)-Ghana.
Dr. Eva M. A. Ombaka was trained as a pharmacist at University of Aston in Birmingham, U.K. where she also did her PhD in pharmaceutical microbiology. Her 30-year career in pharmacy includes hospital practice, academia, and manufacture. In the last 14 years, Dr. Ombaka has been involved in pharmaceutical policy development and capacity building for better pharmacy practice, and a strong advocate for access to medicines. She has facilitated and coordinated several rational medicines use and DTC courses. She is currently the coordinator of the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) and an honorary pharmaceutical adviser to the World Council of Churches. She is also involved in the work of Sustainable Healthcare Foundation, which is pioneering the franchising of community-based pharmaceutical services.
Mr. Martin Oteba Olowo, a principal pharmacist in the Ministry of Health, Uganda, coordinates the district medicine management program. He has spearheaded the review of the National Drug Policy and formulation of the first national pharmaceutical sector strategic plan. He played a leading role in the establishment of National Drug Authority and started the pharmacy section in the Ministry of Health. He also works at the Department of Pharmacy, Makerere University. He holds a master’s degree in pharmacy and a master’s degree in international health.
Dr. Atieno Ojoo is a hospital pharmacist who holds master’s in public health from Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. She is presently the Director of Pharmacy at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. She has 14 years’ experience in training and operational research in both public and private sector pharmaceutical management systems. She has been involved in implementation of modern leadership and management practices, reporting systems, workflow efficiencies, inventory management and information technology systems in the pharmaceutical sector in Kenya. She has successfully implemented DTCs in both private and public sectors. She has also trained and consulted for the Government of Sudan, Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies, EPN, World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, INRUD, and MSH among others. She is a member of the DFID/Wellcome Trust-supported Kenyan Task force on Health Research Capacity Strengthening.
Dr. Celestino Obua is a physician with a PhD in clinical pharmacology from Karolinka Institute, Sweden. He currently holds a lecture position in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Makerere University. He worked as a clinician in various health facilities in Uganda and Kenya for over 12 years before joining Makerere in 1997. He is an active member of INRUD-Uganda, with extensive experience in medicine use interventions studies. He has authored several publications with other members of the INRUD-Uganda group on aspects of the effects of the decentralization policy on health services in Uganda. Dr. Obua has been involved in the curriculum review process that has ushered in the innovative problem-based learning curriculum being used at the Makerere Faculty of Medicine today.
Fees and Application
The course fee is 2,200.00 U.S. dollars (USD). This fee covers tuition, training course materials, shared accommodations, breakfast and lunch, and accommodations through the morning of January 19. The course fee for local participants not requiring accommodation is 1,500 USD.
Applications and fees are due no later than November 20, 2007. Because the course is limited to 35 participants, applicants are encouraged to apply early.
For further information, including a complete copy of the course announcement and application form, please send an e-mail to Dr. Paul Waako at paulwaako@yahoo.com and pwaako@med.mak.ac.ug with copies to— Florence Kamyuka: kamyukflo@yahoo.co.uk and Terry Green: tgreen@msh.org
You can also visit the RPM Plus website for a copy of the application and announcement: http://www1.msh.org/projects/rpmplus/WhatWeDo/Antimicrobial-Resistance/DTC-C ommittees.cfm
Paul Waako MBChB MSc. PhD
Head of Department Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Makerere University Medical School
Tel. 256 41 532945
Cell. 256 772468458
Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
pwaako@med.mak.ac.ug