IMCI pre-service education introduced in more medical schools, Sudan

12 March 2013 – Eight more medical schools were oriented to IMCI (integrated management of childhood illness) in Sudan in 2012, bringing to 29 the total number of medical schools in the country which have introduced IMCI.

IMCI pre-service education was formally introduced in Sudan in 2001—after a recommendation had been made the year before. A national task force on IMCI pre-service training was established to lead, coordinate, support and oversee activities in this area. The first two schools in the country to pioneer efforts to adopt IMCI in their teaching programmes were the universities of Khartoum and Gezira, both being leading medical teaching institutions in the country which graduate a large number of medical doctors every year.

Senior teaching staff from medical schools had closely collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Health in introducing IMCI in the country since its inception, establishing an excellent model of partnership which fostered support to both in-service and pre-service training initiatives.

IMCI pre-service education, including teaching and student competencies, was formally evaluated in Sudan at the University of Khartoum (2006), University of Gezira (2009) and International University of Africa (2012), in close collaboration with the WHO Regional office.

To date, 70 medical schools in eight countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region have made efforts to introduce IMCI in their teaching programmes. The WHO Regional office has worked closely with many of these schools and has developed an IMCI pre-service education package to assist them in their teaching efforts. IMCI pre-service education is seen as playing a critical role in public child health, as it targets future cadres of doctors who will be working in the public and private sectors.