TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO KABUL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY AND GHAZANFAR INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCES TO UPGRADE THE NUTRITION CURRICULA IN THE EXISTING DIPLOMAS OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND TO CREATE SPECIFIC NUTRITION DIPLOMAS, ASIA, AFGHANISTAN

Donor: European Union

Contract Number: EuropeAid/137-642/DH/SER/AFACA/2016/374-629

Partner: Conseil Santé and Tehran University of Medical Science

Duration: (1 July 2016 to 31 December 2018)

Beneficiaries: 

- Direct: Kabul Medical University (KMU), Ghaznfar Institute of Health and Science (GIHS)
- Indirect : Ministry of public Health and Ministry of Higher Education.

Executive Summary:

Phase one of the project, which included the inception phase and start of project implementation, has been relatively successfully completed despite internal and external difficulties.

A comprehensive inception report was prepared and a revised approach made of mix in-country support and study tours for Afghan professional was approved by the EUD.

Project implementation start-up faced a number of challenges which delayed project activities as planned in the work plan. Challenges were in part due to problems miscommunication and some misunderstanding at counterpart’s level with respect to project objectives and content, and in part due to the usual resistance of Afghan counterparts to new projects. These have now been overcome.

Indeed, the project currently has an effective and mutual working cooperation with the main counterparts, KMU and GIHS.

After the first mission of TUMS/SNSD to Kabul in November 2016, an official introductory mission to TUMS helped also to clarify the project and TUMS intervention strategy as well as to secure GIHS and KMU involvement in the project.

Nine new teachers have now been nominated – four by KMU and five by GIHS. Nomination of two additional by KMU is in progress. These teachers will get trained to teach the revised nutrition curricula that have been delivered during the period by TUMS/SNSD. The initial training program will be partly implemented in Iran at TUMS/SNSD and partly in Kabul. Both KMU and GIHS new nutrition staff are currently ready to embark on this training program due to begin in July 2017.

The next main step will be to consolidate the project strategy for the new diplomas elaboration and training of teachers through the preparation of a project extension becoming necessary with the obvious need for enrolling teachers in MSc of Nutrition at TUMS/SNSD for an academic cycle of 2 years minimum.

Brief of Project:

The current EU funded technical assistance (TA) program is responding to the need of a well trained workforce for the nutrition sector, by providing Technical Assistance to Kabul University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) and the Ghazanfar Institute of Health Sciences (GIHS) to provide the following tasks:
1. Revise, upgrade and implement the nutrition curricula of its different Faculties.
2. To create and implement a specific nutrition module within the Masters in Public Health and a new Post-graduate Diploma in Nutrition at KUMS.
3. To provide Technical Assistance to the GIHS in order to revise, upgrade and implement the nutrition curricula of the Diplomas of Nurses and Midwives and create and implement a new Diploma in Nutrition.

Creating the link between GHIS/KMU and TUMS/SNSD

As part of the efforts to ensure the full commitment of GIHS and KMU institutions in the project, establishing a trustful relationship between these institutions and TUMS/SNSD was a key objective.

In the period, the TA program organized an official visit to TUMS/SNSD from February
25th to March 3rd, 2017 (see annex 9). Participants were Dr. Sherin Aqa Zarif, Chancellor of KMU, Dr. Hashim Taheri, Deputy Chancellor for Student affairs, KMU, Dr. Abdulla Abed, Dean on the Faculty of Public Health, KMU, Dr. Mutiullah Sharq, Director of GIHS, Dr. Jabarzai, Acting Academic Deputy, GIHS, Dr. Sayed Askar Mousavi, Project Director, Conseil Santé.

Despite a challenging logistical support from TUMS, the official tour proved to be really fruitful. The participants had a chance to visit TUMS/SNSD premises, teaching infrastructure, nutrition laboratory, as well as the teaching hospitals. Curricula revision process and well as the upcoming training program were discussed. Collaboration beyond the project was also envisioned.