Training medical physics in developing countries
Prof. Golam Abu Zakaria - Gummersbach Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Since 2001 I am actually the President of [?? 0:07] group in our Society of Medical Physics in Germany. It is called Medical Physics in Developing Countries and I am very much involved with this collaboration all over the world, especially three countries we are doing our work. One is Bangladesh, another in Tanzania and another is South American Nicaragua. But I came from Bangladesh, my roots, so I take this example and we established a Department of Medical Physics for the first time in Bangladesh and it is done by cooperation with Germany. We have produced more than a hundred Masters and [?? 0:48], they are working all over the countries. Now we’ve extended our cooperation with Germany for another four years and we will work in the whole of South Asia and aid countries, starting from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldivian. We are just starting the training, hands-on training, and education for these medical physicists. At the same time we know that radiotherapy is teamwork so we also trained medical doctors and technicians.
Why is this important in these countries?
Because actually in developing countries they can manage their machine, they buy their machines. But actually the skilled manpower, the specialists, is actually the whole problem in these countries. When you build somebody or some migration brain drain, we want to have this motivation to brain gain. So that’s why we train the people there with our friends, European friends and American friends, and maybe 10% went from the country but the rest are living there and they’re helping their patients. This is our motivation to aim to improve our world.
Have we seen a marked improvement in Bangladesh?
Yes, these people are actually serving every hospital and also teaching and they’re working with the medical doctors and helping the patient. Yes, we are seeing now the whole time many, many people went to India and Thailand, now the structure is improving and so many, many patients stay in this country. So we see some direct effects of what we are doing. But it is just drop in a stone, but we are trying our best.
What are the challenges involved in establishing these centres?
Because it’s a new subject, yes, and it is not easy to make it clear to the government and other people. But our model case is functioning. We think one day the government will accept this and make it a huge population. The problem is lack of tenure, lack of good accredited hospitals and these are the problems. Still it’s functioning and this country is progressing well and I hope it will be better in the future.
What would you say as a final message?
The Global Health Catalyst summit I’m paying much interest. It is actually aimed to do Africa and I have much great respect when I could do something in Africa. It was in Kigali and I see the countries very well, they need help. So I have a good experience with South Asia so I think I will extend my cooperation in Africa. Maybe I can do something more. I have given in between two scholarship students that come to my institute in Bangladesh and they do for the first time their Master thesis. I think when they go back they can help their country in Rwanda. I want to do something for Africa, that’s why I’m associated with this Global Health Catalyst. They are very good ambitions; they are very nice to do the global thinking and change the motivation and change everything. So I’m very happy to be here in Boston, this first time for me. I have heard many things in Boston and so I am very happy in this education city. I am here and I try to help globally.
There’s a lot of emphasis on developed countries helping developing countries. Do you think developing countries can learn from each other too?
This is one of my great aspirations. I’m a fan of south-south cooperation because it is easy to access and the people are not expensive. But still we need the trainer and help from the north but the trainer can help many, many people. I cannot bring every people to Germany or North America but it is easy, we bring from Tanzania to Bangladesh, Bangladesh to Tanzania. So this south-south cooperation for me is very important – north to south and south-south. North to south is always going all over the world but south-south is not popular. We should do that. That’s the innovation.
Many people are taught, many people have done – Mandela or [?? 5:35] or we’ve had here Willy Brandt from Germany. I think also America, they have also a tradition to promote the south-south cooperation. I hope the north people promote the south-south cooperation so the people learn from each other and help themselves to be a better world.
