A new advanced training course for paediatric and neonatal care in Maputo, Mozambique
10.11.2022
In Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, a new higher-level training course for local paediatricians and neonatologists begins thanks to the collaboration between The University of Padua, The Eduardo Mondlane University of Maputo, and The Catholic University of Mozambique of Beira, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, and the support of the MIUR.
As the University of Padua continues to support medical training in Mozambique and through Doctors with Africa CUAMM as its on-site partner, the new course offers an array of activities. Activities that oversee the planning of training sessions, selecting study courses, creating distance learning opportunities, teaching staff, facilitating intercultural exchanges, ensuring access to education to 20 students (including 5 from Beira), and sending educational materials and equipment.
The program is the first and only advanced training course in Mozambique aimed at doctors, nurses, and health professionals who now have the opportunity to specialize in paediatric and neonatal emergencies.
This opportunity is open to those across five of Mozambique’s 10 provinces. Thanks to “a titanic amount of hard work from each of the three universities involved and the support of Doctors with Africa CUAMM. It has taken two and a half years for this advanced training course to come to fruition. Now, the combined clinical skills and research methods will bring forth a decisive impact on the paediatric and neonatal mortality rate in the country," explains Prof. Jahit Sacarlal, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Eduardo Mondlane University.
Professor Liviana Da Dalt from the Department of Women's and Children’s Health of the University of Padua shares more, "having carried out this advanced training course is an honour for our University, and as we celebrate its 800 anniversary this project renews our commitment to internationalization and international collaboration, two cornerstones for our institution. Thanks to the involvement of Doctors with Africa CUAMM, which has been a bridge between our academic community and Mozambique since 2006 when we began a collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Beira by welcoming specialists in paediatrics and neonatology for a period of six months in clinical and academic activities. This project aims to answer one of the great problems that afflict the health systems of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and which concerns the health and well-being of children and infants that are always at the centre of our objectives."
Paediatric and neonatal mortality in Mozambique remains high, accounting for 46% of deaths in children under 5 years of age. “Initiatives aimed at preventing mortality in young patients are numerous, but those facing emergencies are often neglected. Far too often, our African colleagues denounce the need for urgent care. This is why we are here. We are here to strengthen our collaboration with CUAMM as we commit ourselves to this new challenge,” shares Daniele Trevisanuto, Professor of Neonatal Care at the University of Padua and project representative.
