Ready to go: young doctors facing health challenges in a changing world

On December 19th yet another group of enthusiastic young medical doctors participated in the closing ceremony of the 136th Netherlands Tropical medicine and hygiene Course (NTC). (1) They finished a three-month intensive course at the Royal Tropical Institute (Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen, KIT) learning about health problems in low-income countries, public health and organizational aspects relevant to address health issues.

Double graduation ceremony

Fifteen out of the 23 participants of the NTC finished their training for ‘tropical doctor’. They dedicated the past years to ensure they are equipped to work in low- and middle-income settings, mostly for a period of 2-5 years. The NTC is the final part of their training, and many of them immediately left for work in challenging settings; such as Ebola-struck Sierra Leone where three of the group are now working. (2) One of the recent graduates went to South Sudan, a country where especially the health system is bearing the scars of decades of conflict.

THEIR MISSION IS SIMILAR TO OURS AT KIT: TO BRING BETTER HEALTH TO THOSE PARTS AND PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT ARE FACING THE HIGHEST BURDENS OF DISEASE

Tropical doctor for life?

The training for tropical doctors is aimed at a career in the Netherlands after a period abroad. The training for tropical doctors has been adapted to the current needs and our doctors are no longer prepared for “just” clinical work in low- and middle-income countries. We see many of our alumni, former ‘tropical doctors’ returning and delivering (transcultural) health care in the Netherlands. Prisca Zwanikken, director of the courses at KIT and trained as a tropical doctor herself sees that many alumni stay active in the tropical medicine scene: “We welcome former tropical doctors as teachers in our courses, meet them in advisory committees, we collaborate in research projects or consultancies. Once a doctor is ‘infected’ by the work in the tropics, it’s a lifelong ‘addiction’, they get hooked for life. Their idealism persists and hearts remain connected to the parts of the world where they have worked. It’s almost genetic: we see offspring of tropical doctors returning to our classrooms as the new generation of global health care professionals. It’s also a pleasure: we regularly welcome alumni participating in our advanced short courses to update their knowledge on public and international health.”

Shared mission

Lisanne Gerstel, trained as a medical doctor and intervention epidemiologist, is now coordinating and teaching NTC students. “It’s an honour to be part of the professional journey of these dedicated and brave health professionals. Many leave comfort, friends and family behind to work for a local salary in countries where day-to-day life brings challenges like unreliable electricity, a lack of medical equipment and scarce human resources. Their mission is similar to ours at KIT: to bring better health to those parts and people in the world that are facing the highest burdens of disease.” The tropical doctor training has been professionalized considerably since it started many decades ago. In 2014 the AIGT (Dutch acronym for Medical Doctor in International Health and Tropical Medicine) was accredited; this is a two-and-a-half year medical specialization of which the NTC forms part. (3) After a period of working in low-and middle-income countries these doctors bring their experience and knowledge to the Dutch setting of medicine and public health.

Rewarding students

Gerstel: “NTC participants are fantastic students for us as teachers. So eager, so committed and curious. They imagine themselves in the field in just a few weeks’ time and are incredibly ambitious to make a difference in a challenging context. I cannot imagine any other group that is so keen to absorb new knowledge, pose critical questions about practical use of new skills and broaden their views.” Messages from the field also reciprocate teacher enthusiasm: “We benefit daily from the skills we learned during the NTC. It is great to be able to apply almost all the knowledge”, says Carolien van den Ende who has just started working in Sierra Leone.

WE BENEFIT DAILY FROM THE SKILLS WE LEARNED DURING THE NTC. IT IS GREAT TO BE ABLE TO APPLY ALMOST ALL THE KNOWLEDGE

A special mix

The NTC brings together an international mix of health professionals. Additional to aspiring tropical doctors, the course attracts international students from low- and middle-income countries like Myanmar, Belarus, Sudan, Egypt, Indonesia, and Pakistan. These students follow a one-year Master in International Health (MIH) programme at KIT. (4) They left their families and loved ones behind to invest in their abilities to contribute to international health. Their programme includes training at various partner institutes in the tropEd network and afterwards they will return home, with more knowledge and skills, which are very much needed in their settings.

Intercultural and interactive approach

Gerstel: “Our learning approaches prepare people for a professional life in diverse and often challenging contexts. Therefore we include discussions, debates, case studies, role plays, simulations and serious games. It’s intense but we believe interactive learning is the best way to prepare people for the world outside. Turning theory into practice. All our participants have relevant work experience which is brought and used in the classes. As a participant, you will be asked to discuss and solve problems derived from real working situations. An added advantage is the mixed group of Dutch and international students. Students learn with and from each other. The exchange of differences in communication and views between countries offers students great insights to use in their future workplaces.”

For more information on the NTC and other Masters’ programmes and short courses, visit www.kit.nl/health/study

Are you interested in supporting a health professional from a low- and middle-income country to become a leader in health? Visit www.kit.nl/study-fund to explore the opportunities.

Follow the day-to-day life of recent graduates on their blogs: Niek Versteegde in Tanzania (www.stichtingvsh.nl); Jacob and Carolien van den Ende in Sierra Leone (www.this-is-sierra-leone.org)

References

1. The NTC is jointly organized by the Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre (VU) and the University Hospital of the University of Amsterdam (UvA)
2. www.nos.nl/artikel/2010744-we-willen-echt-het-verschil-maken.html
3. The AIGT (training medical doctors in international health and tropical medicine) is organized by the Netherlands Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health, www.nvtg.org
4. The Master in International Health course is organized jointly with TropEd, the network in education in international health (http://www.troped.org)