In The News
IDI Celebrates 1000th Graduate
June 30, 2006: The number of healthcare workers who have received specialized HIV/AIDS training at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University (IDI) has crossed the 1000 mark. Dr. Mariam Luyiga, a Medical Officer with TASO, became the 1000th graduate of the HIV/AIDS Training Programme at IDI. She has graduated today alongside 20 other trainees after completing modules on paediatric HIV/AIDS, mother-to-child HIV transmission and research. “I feel great about being the 1000th but what is most important is the knowledge I acquired from this place. I learnt many things including how to start patients on ARVs, when to change drugs, handling side effects, and above all I got hands-on experience,” said Dr. Luyiga. She added: “I was running an ARV programme but I felt I was still lacking in some ways because what I had acquired from the medical school at the time I graduated was not enough. I recommend that all health professionals in clinical practice come to do this course. HIV management is dynamic and you can never stick to the old little things you learnt in the past.”
The Uganda Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Dr. Emmanuel Otala, presided over the graduation ceremony. Others present included the Vice Chancellor Makerere University, Prof. Livingstone Luboobi; Associate Dean Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Sam Luboga and the Director IDI, Prof. Keith McAdam.
With this graduation, IDI has now trained a total of 1,017 healthcare workers from 23 African countries. As explained by the IDI Director, Prof. Keith McAdam, a much larger number of health workers have benefited indirectly from the Training Programme through those trained at IDI, who go back to their work places and train others. An earlier survey showed that within four months of training at IDI, each alumnus had coached and mentored an average of 20 others per month in their places of work. “I’m delighted about reaching this landmark which represents not only those we teach, but also others they teach,” said Prof. McAdam. Dr. Gisela Schneider, Head of Training at IDI, added: “If you have 1,000 people trained and each of them trains at least 10 others, that is 10,000 people trained. So celebrating 1,000 means celebrating thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people treated correctly.”
At IDI, healthcare workers learn how to manage clients on antiretroviral therapy, treat HIV-related complications, plan and manage HIV/AIDS programmes, prevent spread of the virus, carry out research and train others. This year IDI built partnerships with other stakeholders to expand its training capacity in other fields such as malaria. IDI works closely with the Ministry of Health particularly Mulago Hospital, AIDS Control Programme and National Malaria Control Programme in addition to the Faculty of Medicine, Makerere University. The Joint Clinical Research Centre, Mildmay International, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Clinic, Makerere University – Johns Hopkins collaboration, Uganda Cares, Reach Out Mbuya and many others are strong partners in the IDI Training Programme.
