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Establishing a new medical school: Botswana's experience
Gaonyadiwe G Mokone1, Maikutlo Kebaetse, John Wright
1Dr. Mokone is senior lecturer, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Dr. M. Kebaetse is senior lecturer, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Dr. Wright is lecturer, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Dr. M.B. Kebaetse is distance learning specialist, Botswana Medical Education Partnership Initiative, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Mrs. Makgabana-Dintwa is training coordinator, Health Systems Research Unit, Botswana Medical Education Partnership Initiative, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Dr. Kebaabetswe is director, Health Systems Research Unit, Botswana Medical Education Partnership Initiative, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Dr. Badlangana is lecturer, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Dr. Mogodi is lecturer, Department of Public Health and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. Ms. Bryant is consultant researcher, Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana. Dr. Nkomazana is associate program director and Botswana Medical Education Partnership Initiative principal investigator, School of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
Botswana established a medical school to combat a critical doctor shortage, addressing challenges in training and retention. Lessons learned offer insights for other nations facing similar human resources for health crises.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Public Health
- Human Resources for Health
Background:
- Global shortage of skilled health care workers, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Botswana faces a critical doctor shortage due to high disease burden and emigration.
- Previous foreign medical training programs yielded insufficient retention of graduates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the establishment and development of Botswana's first medical school.
- To highlight curriculum, staffing, and infrastructure strategies.
- To share key successes and challenges encountered in medical education development.
Main Methods:
- Establishment of a national medical school.
- Curriculum development informed by international standards and local needs.
- Securing funding and partnerships, including the Medical Education Partnership Initiative grant.
- Addressing staffing and infrastructure requirements for a new medical school.
Main Results:
- Successful establishment of a medical school within Botswana.
- Acceleration of school development through external grants.
- Identification of key successes and challenges in implementing medical education programs.
- Gathering of experiences and lessons learned from the school's inception.
Conclusions:
- Establishing a national medical school is a viable strategy to address doctor shortages.
- Careful planning regarding curriculum, staffing, and infrastructure is crucial.
- Lessons learned can guide other countries in developing their own medical education initiatives.
- Continued efforts are needed to ensure long-term success and retention of medical professionals.
