DUSHANBE, July 26, 2012, Asia-Plus — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Quality Health Care Project yesterday presented diplomas to medical interns who recently completed their one-year internships in preparation for careers as family doctors throughout Tajikistan, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.
The ceremony took place at the Post Graduate Medical Institute Family Medicine Clinic in Dushanbe’s Health Center #1. Representatives from USAID, the USAID Quality Health Care Project, the Tajik Postgraduate Medical Institute, the Ministry of Health Department on Medical Education, and international donor partners gathered to celebrate the occasion.
After 165 doctors were trained in family medicine with the assistance of USAID, 12 were selected to take part in a pilot internship program through the USAID Quality Health Care Project. These interns received intensive training at the Tajik Postgraduate Medical Institute, which is considered the best clinical training center in Central Asia. The interns earned the highest scores of all of this year’s interns on their graduation exams and have expressed their willingness to continue their medical education as part of a further two-year internship program.
Dr. Salomiddin Isupov, Head of the Ministry of Health Department on Medical Education and Science, says, “This is the first time in Tajikistan that so many family medicine interns have enrolled in the continuation program, a very positive sign for the development of family medicine in Tajikistan. These young doctors will strengthen Tajik medical institutions and family medicine. Their enthusiasm proves that family medicine has become a core element of primary health care in our country.”
The Ministry of Health lauded the Post Graduate Medical Institute and the USAID Quality Project-collaborative internship program and recommended that it be expanded for use countrywide. The Ministry of Health expects that the pilot model will not only strengthen the institution of family medicine, but will also encourage medical school graduates to choose family medicine as their specialty, addressing a critical deficit in the Tajik primary health care system, where the average age of health workers is currently over 50.
The USAID Quality Health Care Project is one of the many assistance projects made possible by the American people. Since 1992, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe has provided more than $984 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education, and economic growth.
