Continuing Medical Education in Pediatrics Pilot Project Successfully Achieves its Final Stage

Armenian Ministry of Health is pleased with project results and pledges to expand it to the national level

December 12, 2005 — In a public forum held on December 8, 2005, the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) and the Institute of Child and Adolescent Health (ICAH) presented the results of the Continuing Medical Education (CME) pilot project in Pediatrics. This initiative was implemented as an integral part of the Health component of the COAF Integrated Rural Development efforts in the Model Village of Karakert.

The main goal of the CME pilot project was to improve the quality and accessibility of children’s and adolescents’ healthcare by increasing the professional skills and performance capacity of primary healthcare doctors working in rural Armenia. The CME project lasted for a total of one year and included lectures and educational materials coupled with practical classes, followed by trainees’ performance monitoring and evaluation.

Twenty-four family doctors and pediatricians from the Armavir district of Armenia were the beneficiaries of this joint effort. Speaking at the event, Tatul Hakobyan, Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia, praised the project and the results accomplished in this pilot phase. He also pledged that the pilot must serve as the cornerstone for expanding CME nationwide.

The CME initiative stood out among other similar projects not only because it measurably augmented the professional skills and abilities of rural doctors, but also because it was the first such project to publish a modern pediatric manual and protocols for improving case management and referrals. More than thirty five national experts, working with local health authorities, made this pilot project come to successful fruition. The outcome will strengthen links among primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare levels, which will ultimately result in the improvement of healthcare quality.

CONTACTS: Sunny Uberoi, (212) 994-8206; or e-mail info@coafkids.org