Iraq conducts first national IMCI training course in May 2005

The Ministry of Health of Iraq conducted, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, a national IMCI Case Management Training Course, in Amman, Jordan, from 8 to 19 May 2005, using the Iraq IMCI adapted guidelines and materials for the first time. The course aimed to train Iraqi physicians in IMCI using the Iraq version, review the adapted materials during the course and strengthen national trainers’ facilitation skills. H.E. the Minister of Health, Iraq, visited the participants on the 6th day of the course to become acquainted with the IMCI training methodology and renown quality standards. The Minister expressed his deep appreciation for the standardization of the clinical guidelines and the quality of training, and expressed his support to the IMCI strategy as a quality strategy needed to reduce mortality in under-five children in Iraq and improve their health. The 11-day course was attended by 24 Iraqi physicians from 6 governorates in Iraq which are involved in the implementation of the IMCI strategy. A team composed of the EMRO regional adviser on Child and Adolescent Health and Development (CAH), 4 experienced WHO consultants and 4 national facilitators conducted the course. Classroom and clinical sessions were held at the Paediatric department of Al Basheer Hospital, Amman; additional outpatient clinical sessions were carried out at Al Hashemi Maternal and Child Health Centre. Valuable support was provided by the Jordan Ministry of Health and Al Basheer Hospital paediatric department teams. As is a standard methodology in IMCI courses, intensive clinical practice was provided, with a total of 896 clinical exposures—a mean of 37.3 exposures per participant—. Exposures included cases classified as follows: 441 “No Pneumonia”, 144 Pneumonia, 60 Severe Pneumonia, 63 Very severe disease”, 45 diarrhoea with “some dehydration”, 23 “persistent diarrhoea”, 18 “Dysentery”, 180 “anaemia”, 3 “severe anaemia” and 13 severe malnutrition.