Unam to Offer Course On Diabetes

University of Namibia (

The University of Namibia (Unam) School of Medicine and two other African universities - in Kenya and Uganda - have launched a programme that will offer its undergraduate medical students training on how to manage diabetes patients as future medical practitioners.

The Capacity Advancement Programme in medical education programme was launched last Thursday here in Windhoek. Merck Serono, a division of Merck with its headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany supports the programme. Merck is a pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company.

According to the World Health Organisation, non-communicable diseases account for 38 percent of all mortality in Namibia, while cardiovascular diseases, including diabetes, account for 19 percent of mortalities among the Namibian population.

In an interview with New Era, Professor Isaac Quaye of the Unam School of Medicine said the programme would commence this November with third and fourth year medical students. "The aim is to build capacity and create awareness on how to manage diabetes," said Quaye. The Serono Symposia International Foundation, an independent organisation that provides medical education programmes accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, will offer the training.

Quaye explained that experts from outside Africa would have the opportunity to lecture medical students as part of the programme. At the launch of the programme, the Founding Dean of the Unam School of Medicine, Professor Peter Nyarango said: "The University of Namibia School of Medicine in particular is delighted and honoured to be part of this initiative."

He said the Unam School of Medicine is a pioneer in health care delivery in Namibia with the intent to turn out highly skilled health professionals for the country and Africa. "This programme will serve as an excellent platform for further development of a specific policy that is operational for non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes and obesity," said Nyarango.

He said the initiative would also improve the quality of future diabetes medical care.