About the Partnership

To address the country's severe physician shortage, the Eritrean Ministry of Health and the George Washington University Medical Center have partnered with Physicians for Peace to develop and implement the country's first residency programs in pediatrics, surgery, and gynecology. The Partnership for Eritrea is strengthening the country's health workforce through innovative medical training programs.

The Partnership for Eritrea aims to:

~ Provide high-quality residency training: Build human resource capacity and improve the physician/population ratio.

~ Ensure sustainability: Train Eritrean physicians to be medical educators and health care leaders.

~ Minimize brain drain: Encourage Eritrean physicians to stay in-country by providing educational and professional opportunities.

~ Apply Eritrean success to other nations: Use the Partnership for Eritrea as a model for other developing countries with scarce human resources.

The First Orotta Medical School Graduation

The Partnership for Eritrea (PFE) marked a major milestone on December 5th, 2009, when eight pediatricians graduated, along with 31 doctors, from the Orotta School of Medicine. The eight graduates began the program in January 2008 as part of a post graduate medical education initiative begun by Physicians for Peace, The George Washington University (GWU) and the Eritrean Minister of Health. Presiding in the ceremony along with the Minister of Health, Dean and Associate Dean, were Dr. Jim Scott, Dean of GWU’s Medical School, Dr. Haile Mezghebe, PFE’s Director of Post Graduate Medical Education, Dr. Ellie Hamburger of Children’s National Medical Center, and Dr. Margot Anderson, Director of PFE’s pediatrics program. Dr. John “Skip” Williams, VP for Health Affairs and Provost, GWU, also provided remarks at the historical ceremony.
The Partnership for Eritrea was designed, at the request of the Government of Eritrea, to assist in developing and implementing post graduate medical programs, beginning with pediatrics, surgery and OB/GYN.

See photos of the graduation.

Read more on the blog.

For more information about the Partnership for Eritrea, visit the program web site at
www.partnershipforeritrea.org

This important program will have lasting effects
for the Eritrean people by increasing the number
of physicians to serve the population and improving the quality of medical care.

Click above to visit the
Partnership for Eritrea web site