POSTGRADUATE DEGREE IN PAEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY
School of Medicine of the University of Dakar, UCAD
Dakar, Senegal
Thanks to this training provided by OCULARIS, I am now able to treat certain pathologies locally. I work at the regional hospital in Ziguinchor where we also receive children from Konda and Sédhiou, nearby villages with no ophthalmology service, who can now receive the care they need here with us.
Dr. Marie Clémence Faye
Head of Service at Ziguinchor Hospital, Senegal.
Why paediatric ophthalmology?
The first decade of life is key for the proper development of the body’s functions, because it is the time when the connections between the brain and the rest of the organs consolidate. In the vision system, any untreated alteration during this period can prevent correct vision for life. Lack of attention to children with visual impairment means learning difficulties at school and lack of autonomy in adult life. Until the creation of the OCULARIS postgraduate degree, this speciality did not exist in sub-Saharan Africa.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POSTGRADUATE DEGREE
We have tailor-made this Postgraduate in Paediatric Ophthalmology for the School of Medicine of the Cheick Anta Diôp University of Dakar. The first edition was held in 2019.
Each university course involves the on-site secondment of specialists in Optometry and Paediatric Ophthalmology from the OCULARIS team to provide practical training in the consulting rooms and operating theatres. A quarter of this training is dedicated to optics and optometry.
These practical sessions are essential to ensure that, in the long term, local teams become fully autonomous. Students and teachers from neighbouring countries* also participate, thus enabling us to broaden the impact of our action.
PHASE 1:
TRAINING OF UNIVERSITY TEACHERS (2014-2018)
- Training of 8 teachers (4 men and 4 women). Half of them granted by the San Juan de Dios Paediatric Hospital in Barcelona.
- Tailor-made implementation of the eSalud platform to enable distance learning of theoretical content.
- Provision of adapted tools in operating theatres and consulting rooms of the Abass Ndao University Hospital Centre, training site.
PHASE 2:
ASSISTANCE AND REINFORCEMENT OF TEACHERS (2019-2023)
- Training of university students, assisiting the teaching staff.
- Provision of up-to-date tools for operating theatres and consulting rooms.
- Our management policy encourages the presence of women, as well as the attendance of students from other countries through incentives, adaptation of teaching hours and scholarships.
- Since 2019, we have trained 7 to 10 specialists in Paediatric Ophthalmology per year.
* Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali, Mauritania
SOCIAL AND HEALTH CONTEXT IN SENEGAL
According to United Nations data (2021), Senegal is among the poorest countries in the world. Its birth rate of more than 4 children per woman reflects both the high level of gender inequality and the great need for paediatric care professionals.
Partners
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current sponsors
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