PIHOA Meeting November 2011:
Professor Ian Rouse
Dean, CMNHS, Fiji National University
November, 2011
Overview
• Role – To produce compassionate and career ready
graduates to meet the needs of the PICT’s
… in this context to ensure that they have the
knowledge and compassion to meet the challenge of
NCD’s.
• Contribution: Past, Present and Future
• Requirements for Success: Within the organization,
within jurisdictions & within the Region
Underlying
Challenges
“How can we hope to bridge these three
widening gaps …
between the haves and the have-nots,
between rhetoric and reality,
between concern and indifference …
that undercut all efforts to address the present
stark challenges? ”
Sissela Bok, Harvard SoPH
South Where?
HISA (WA) November 2004
The Blue Continent
A Realistic Vision?
• Dream ... what is it that we can do ... As staff,
students, organisations ... dreamers.
• Understand ... NCD’s– challenges and
opportunities and the political climate
• Plan ...The future direction for our PICT systems in
a sensible way
• Implement ... Being realistic, staying focused and
progressing in a staged way. With all that we have
done in 2011 we havn't conquered NCD’s.
Developing Career
Ready Graduates
• We can have the capacity to produce the number & mix
of post-secondary graduates we need to meet the NCD
challenge. FNU, NUS, UG, UH, Community Colleges.
• But we need to be much more creative to work out what,
how and where.
• We also need the political will to overcome political ,
professional or organisational barriers.
• We need a better view of the mix of health and medical
staff that we need. FNU alone can take about 500 new
students across the college. But not MBBS students.
What's new in T&L?
• In 2011. New certificate programs in phlebotomy,
community based rehabilitation. New bachelors
programs in Physiotherapy, Nutrition and Dietetics
• For 2012. New Certificates in Laboratory Sciences,
Food safety, New PG programs in Dental Public Health,
Emergency Medicine, Mental Health, Pathology,
Nursing Management.
• New short course offerings in ACLS, ATLS, ALSO,
Preventive Cardiology, Reproductive Oncology, Health
Informatics, Health Accounts, ...
What's new in FNU?
• College Vision Statement ... “Choose Health”
• Health and Wellness Program in the college.
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Improving Diet – in the Canteens, for all meetings
Exercise ... Sport, Social events, Dance, Zumba, Yoga ...
Health Screening – Mini Steps, BP and Lipids, pap Smears ...
Tobacco education and help with quitting
Alcohol education – we have too many binge drinkers.
• Community Projects – MDG’s go live, Fiji Master chefs
go Lean, projects with cancer council, FAMentalHealth,
FWRSafeMotherhoodI, ... With student engagement.
Whats new in Academic Planning:
Academia meeting to discuss response to NCD crisis:
August 2011
Recommendations:
•A statement from meeting
•Identify skills needs in region
•Further exploration of a regional research mechanism or
infrastructure
•Build on this meeting with follow-up annually?
________________________________________________________________
C-POND Pacific Research Centre for the Prevention of Obesity and NCDs
Academia’s response to the NCD crisis : Statement from participants
We the participants ...
Call on academic institutions to:
Work collaboratively with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) civil
society , and communities,
Work towards greater collaboration and integration between and within institutions,
particularly with Community Colleges,
Urgently develop and offer specialisation, within existing accredited
courses/programmes or in new programs, to address nutrition, physical activity, tobacco,
alcohol and substance abuse and relevant other skills, which are important to the
prevention of and amelioration of, NCDs/chronic diseases,
Ensure existing courses are relevant and up to date with current NCD knowledge and
practises,
Ensure existing and future courses are easily accessible, including by distance courses,
and other flexible modes of delivery,
Respond to NCD-related research priorities in the region, with a particular focus on
solutions-oriented research,
Ensure research findings are effectively disseminated to the public, across the region.
We call on donors and governments to:
Support courses and programmes related to NCDs, through scholarships and
collaboration,
Collaborate with academic institutions to ensure courses and research are relevant to
national needs, and integrated into strategic plans,
Support research that is linked to national needs and priorities.
________________________________________________________________
C-POND Pacific Research Centre for the Prevention of Obesity and NCDs
Whats new in Research:
Pacific Islands Health Research Symposium
-Commitment from FNU’s CMNHS for ongoing PIHRS
-120 delegates, 26 presentations
________________________________________________________________
C-POND Pacific Research Centre for the Prevention of Obesity and NCDs
“Developing” Career
Ready Graduates
To meet the needs for the NCD challenge.
• In 2012 we will be completely reviewing our MBBS and
Nursing programs. Both pedagogy and content.
• We are willing to collaborate with Community Colleges,
share curriculum and staff and help develop programs.
• We can support CPD, CME, professional skill
development for existing staff – in country or in a
central location. Like the recent PHC program for 28
participants from 14 countries funded by Korean Aid.
Requirements
for Success
• Political will and innovation to break down institutional
protection or jurisdictional barriers.
• Jurisdictional willingness to think about a broad
spectrum of employees from across all (and maybe some
new) cadres of workers.
• Funding ... not for CMNHS ... But more scholarships
for all jurisdictions across the Pacific.
• Resources to employ more staff - not just doctors.
• Educational Transformation from K-12.
What is our view
of Pacific HealthCare
for NCD’s
Concluding
Thought
“Given our technical competence, how much
further ahead would we have been with a
more constructive thinking style”
Edward de Bono.