Working Abroad – sabbaticals and the like….
Are they a good idea?
Ken Oates October 2014

YES

June – August 2014
RWANDA

What did I do?...
THET (DFID)
Univ of Edinburgh
Makerere, Kampala
African PCA
3 year project
£1.5million
Develop Palliative
Care in 4 sub-Saharan countries

My work streams
• Visited main PC sites
• Met with all key stakeholders
• Reviewed PC registers/data and described epidemiology and service use
• Stock take of current PC provision in Rwanda
• Evaluated progress so far with THET project
• Identified success, gaps and challenges
• Proposed model for PC roll out in next 3 years
• Agreed by MoH at stakeholder workshop in August
• Advocate for PC in Rwandan MoH and with NCD team
• Advocate for curriculum development to include PC
• Encouraged the MoH to procure morphine for pain relief

See a different health service
Kibagabaga District Hospital

Meet new people

Experience new sights, sounds…. and smells!

If you are thinking about it then –
GO FOR IT!!

Some useful documents

Supportive organisations
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
“Volunteering in low resource healthcare settings provides one of the several ways that UK healthcare professionals can increase their expertise in global health. In combination with a career in the NHS, volunteering can provide additional value to the individual and the NHS as well as making a critical contribution to improving health in developing countries.” (March
2013) http://www.aomrc.org.uk/publications/statements
Public Health England
“ Work in other countries on global health is good for public health in the UK as well as being a good thing to do ” (Duncan Selbie,
Chief Executive, Public Health England, July 2014)

Useful weblinks
Department for International Development https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-internationaldevelopment
Scottish Government http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/International/int-dev
Tropical Health Education Trust http://www.thet.org/hps/
Global Health Academy, University of Edinburgh http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/global-health
Faculty of Public Health http://www.fph.org.uk/international