Train the trainers: medical technology for the sustainable development of Africa

Abstract

The role of technology as a key driver of sustainable development has long been recognized. Technology leverages total-factor productivity and contributes to the growth of welfare. The lack of adequate financial and human capital hampers the adoption of technology in many parts of Africa. On September 2015, the General Assembly of United Nations adopted as a consensus resolution the 2030 Development Agenda for Sustainable Development with seventeen goals (SDGs). Creating a knowledge-based economy is a key enabling factor for achieving the SDGs. If successful, this will result in a reduction of inequalities and enhance the quality of life in those countries. It is our belief that education plays a key role in effective and sustainable development. While there are many ways for doing this, we believe that strengthening budding academic institutions is a sustainable long-Term strategy. Such approach needs to take the local situation into account and requires flexible frameworks with the ability to respond to local needs. We have embarked in an international effort to implement a solid proof-of-concept of our approach. Specifically, it focuses on two SDGs, 'good health and well-being' together with 'quality education'. If successful, we expect a positive impact on a third goal, 'decent work and economic growth'. The Canary Islands are a Spanish region and a European outermost region near West Africa. Thanks to the unique combination of geolocation and level of development, the islands play an increasing role as a logistics, trade hub, and launch base for many countries in Western Africa. Many aid organizations, including UN World Food Program, Red Cross/Crescent and USAid, use the Canary Islands as logistics base. In this paper, we report our current experience within the European funded INTERREG MACBioIDi project. One of our main aims is to create a learning community in the fields of medicine and engineering. The participants live in different countries. They speak different languages and come from a variety of cultures with different social and economic boundary conditions. African participants in the project come from Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, and Mozambique. Technology partners come from the outermost European regions of Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira. The main technological platform used in this project is called 3D Slicer. 3D Slicer is an extensible, free software for visualization and processing of biomedical images and was created by a community of scientists and engineers led by researchers from Harvard. Training and mentoring is provided to African physicians, biomedical engineers and researchers in the use 3DSlicer. In order to support these activities, a training center has been created at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC). We first describe the overall strategy of 3D Slicer training, designed in response to the needs of each African country. We highlight the major hurdles faced (e.g. internet connectivity, maintenance of medical equipment, differences in linguistic and social context). Then we focus on the implementation of the training program. Training sessions were held in Africa and at ULPGC, and based on a blended learning program with 'face to face' lessons, coaching, collaboration, multimedia, web based learning and support resources. Finally, we analyze the first results obtained in the program training and the measures adopted to readjust the action plan in the coming months.