AMPATH Commits to Investing in the Future of the Global Health Workforce at Clinton Global Initiative 2023 Meeting
The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) committed to taking action to address the challenge of strengthening the global health workforce during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2023 Meeting today in New York City.
Dean Julia Songok, Moi University School of Medicine, and Dr. Adrian Gardner, executive director of the AMPATH Consortium (both far right), represented AMPATH at the Clinton Global Initiative Meeting in New York City.
“Many low- and middle-income countries face enormous disease burdens and health system challenges. Having an insufficient health workforce to care for their populations directly impacts health outcomes,” said Julia Songok, MBchB, MMed, dean of the Moi University School of Medicine in Eldoret, Kenya. “AMPATH’s workforce development efforts support education and training of providers who work in their existing health systems to improve care for people in underserved communities. In Kenya, I have seen this span from community health worker training to advanced fellowship training in cardiology, maternal-fetal medicine and oncology.”
Beginning with their four existing partnership sites in Kenya, Ghana, Mexico and Nepal, AMPATH partners commit to strengthen and train the primary health workforce to serve and address noncommunicable diseases and social determinants of health; and improve access to medical specialists and integrated specialty care through training, capacity building and multilateral exchange programs.
“The growing burden of noncommunicable diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and mental health exacerbates the impact of an insufficient health workforce because people living with these diseases require lifelong access to health services,” said Adrian Gardner, MD, MPH, executive director of the AMPATH Consortium, a group of 15 universities around the world led by Indiana University that work with universities and the public sector health system at each AMPATH partnership site. “While the focus of each site will be different based on the priorities of the Ministries of Health in each country, AMPATH commits to facilitate training for more than 20,000 providers including community health workers, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, medical and health professions students, primary care physicians and medical specialists.”
Dean Songok and Dr. Gardner represented the global partnership during the announcement of the CGI Commitment to Action. AMPATH is built on a commitment to long-term relationship-building, health equity and strengthening existing public sector health systems to improve health and well-being. The AMPATH partnership in Kenya began more than three decades ago and provides expertise for the three newest AMPATH collaborations.
Activities related to the healthcare workforce commitment for each partnership site include:
Ghana: Leadership development for faculty and capacity-building related to the chronic disease management workforce
Kenya: Strengthening community-based education and service; and community health worker professionalization and support
Mexico: Strengthening career development and health services delivered by newly graduated health professionals in their required year of social service, community health workers and community-based peer support groups
Nepal: Establishing medical fellowships and other opportunities for specialty training
When combined, the workforce training initiative has the potential to improve care for a population of more than 40 million people across the four countries. AMPATH will also share lessons learned and innovative solutions with communities across the United States.
AMPATH is seeking total financial resources of $45M over 5 years to strengthen health workforce development in the communities it serves. In addition to supporting workforce training efforts and programming, these resources will help to translate best practices into new policies that ensure sustainable support for new workforce development initiatives and retention of the health workforce in underserved communities. They will also amplify the impact of AMPATH’s health workforce development efforts by providing the infrastructure needed to share the best practices and lessons learned with other leaders, policymakers and communities around the world.
About the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH)
AMPATH improves the health of people in underserved communities by working in partnership with academic health centers, ministries of health and others to build public sector health systems and promote well-being. Guided by the principle of leading with care, we deliver and sustain effective healthcare services; reduce health disparities and address social determinants of health; develop and strengthen human capacity through training and education; advance research that improves health; and strengthen partner institutions.
About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative is a community of doers representing a broad cross section of society and dedicated to the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart. Through CGI’s unique model, more than 9,000 organizations have launched more than 3,900 Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable projects and programs.
AMPATH’s Commitment to Action was featured in the Spotlight Session: INNOVATIONS IN ACCESS: HOW TO EXPAND OUR HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE THROUGH DIVERSE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS.
See more from the meeting: https://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-initiative-september-2023-meeting/