For over 10 years now, a team of medical volunteers from the US has been coming to Rwanda under the patronage of the International Organisation for Women and Development (IOWD), to carry out free fistula repairs and train local doctors on how to care and treat the dreaded obstetric condition.

This year, however, the team wasn’t able to come on its yearly mission because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The founder and director of the organisation, Barbara Margolies, had to initiate an on-line teaching programme last month as a way to continue with their medical support to Rwandans.

Via Zoom, she is able to bring both American and Rwandan doctors on-line, to give presentations about different medical specialties. Students are trained in different specialities such as dermatology, gynaecology and obstetrics, urology, cardiology, paediatric, surgery, palliative care, neurosurgery, anaesthesiology, nursing and oncology.

These lectures and power points expose the students and new young doctors to many different areas in medicine. And it also gives them an opportunity to ask questions and have deep discussions with skilled and experienced doctors in their respective fields.

Margolies says she came up with this teaching project because she was sad that they wouldn’t be able to return to Rwanda until 2021, yet the students have so much free time because the medical school is closed until September.

"As an educator and a mother, I understand the boredom and lethargy that comes from young people having nothing to do every day. I wanted IOWD to be present in Rwanda, even if we couldn’t actually be there on the ground to be with our students. I wanted our Rwandan medical students and former students (now doctors) to learn of different areas of medicine and to have an opportunity of meeting and talking with so many interesting people and certainly to have the opportunity to personally meet Rwandan doctors,” she says.

Dr Christian Ntizimira, a palliative care expert and one of the founding members of the Rwanda Palliative Care and Hospice Organisation, is part of the training team. He commends the organisation’s initiative, saying that the training is facilitating the steadiness of medical education despite the global Covid-19 pandemic effects in different areas of medicine.

"Different speakers from different sides of the world continue to learn and share experiences of multiple cases which will lead to the development of a comprehension model of education based on the realities of local context,” he says.

Ntizimira also reveals the sound impact this is making towards his career through sharing of experiences.

"A large number of specialists (local and international) share how to support patients and their communities, they also update our skills and knowledge about different topics and, to develop and adapt best practices based in my context. During the pandemic situation where we had an impression that everything seemed to have stopped, the virtual platform continues to change our perspectives as doctors to serve our communities.”

What students say

Richard Chance Niyongabo, the team leader of the medical students working with IOWD, applauds the initiative saying that as students, they are yet to benefit a lot from their interactions with skilled professionals.

"This is impacting our future career as doctors because we are getting knowledge, the other thing is we are being trained by ‘big’ doctors we wouldn’t have otherwise had a chance to meet. We are being taught by teachers from Johns Hopkins University, Harvard, Stanford, Michigan, among others. So it’s a chance for us and it will help us become good doctors, sometimes to be great at what you do, you need a good trainer,” Niyongabo says.

He continues to laud IOWD’s efforts, "With all the years they have spent, they have become friends with Rwanda. IOWD goes beyond treating patients and training doctors, they do amazing things for us as a country.”

Aicha Uwamahoro, a junior paediatrician at Rwanda Military Hospital, says in medicine as a career, they never stop learning — either by being taught or by teaching others. So for her, this opportunity is providing both at the same time.

She adds that this form of online teaching has shown that they can continue learning, and also collaborate with national and international specialists.

"This way of teaching is going to make changes. I have seen the University of Rwanda adopting this as well. Definitely the outcome is to have better instructed doctors for our Rwandan population,” Uwamahoro says.

Impact on health sector

Ntizimira says the training will have a direct impact on their professional careers, and will definitively impact the health sector because of the best practices learnt.

As the world starts to recover slowly from the pandemic, different topics or themes from the training will help participants (USA and Rwanda) to adapt different perspectives on healthcare delivery, he says.

Margolies points out that medical students and former students have learned so much.

"They can’t take techniques with them yet but if they pursue some of these specialties, they will learn to apply what they heard through these sessions. But what I think the greater impact is, is the opportunity to learn about different specialties and approaches to areas of medicine.”

She also notes that the cooperation between American and Rwandan doctors on a very personal level, the willingness to share knowledge, the willingness to listen to the Rwandan students and young doctors, to answer their questions, honestly and to the best of their ability is what is important.

"We are creating very special relationships and that’s a beautiful thing nowadays, we care about our students, we care about Rwanda,” Margolies says.

Due to Covid-19 pandemic, students are now virtually trained in different specialities.

Margolies is the founder and director of IOWD specialities.

Niyongabo, the team leader of the medical students working with IOWD.