MEDI-SHARE – Improving Capacity of Health Sector Researchers in ACP HEIs by Sharing Worldwide Recognised IT Tools and Experiences

Fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in East Africa

Like many other developing countries, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have a heavy disease burden that is shouldered by the rural poor, especially women and children. The leading causes of morbidity and mortality are malaria, HIV/AIDS and diarrhoeal diseases. The key obstacles in combating these diseases in Eastern Africa have been weak, inequitable health systems, including a crisis in health personnel and sustainable health financing.

There is therefore an urgent need to ensure that health systems are strengthened. Of particular importance is the improvement of the quality of health data, its management and use.

The MEDI-SHARE project aims to help meet these needs by strengthening the research role of universities in Eastern Africa to combat the poverty-related diseases and in particular those related to HIV/ AIDS, Malaria and tuberculosis.

In order to help understand the spread, and monitor the effects of these diseases, the
“Improving Capacity of Health Sector Researchers in ACP HEIs by Sharing Worldwide
Recognized IT Tools and Experiences” (MEDI-SHARE) project will foster disease monitoring and research activities of three leading universities in the East African region.

Setting up a database of pathologies
To achieve these goals, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, Muhimbili University of Health
and Allied Sciences in Tanzania and Makerere University in Uganda will join forces and
share experiences in the analysis and evaluation of the selected pathologies to enhance
the use of new methodologies, registries and tools.

The core activity of the project will be the creation of a database where information on
AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis will be stored and accessible to academics and researchers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Here, experts will define a minimum set of most relevant fields for each disease. The data that will then be inserted to these fields will be in line with international standards and will be adapted to local needs in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Upgrading research capacities
The databases will be the main tool of the research cells that will be set up in each African
partner university and used for the input, collection monitoring and analysis and evaluation
on the selected pathologies. They will also be the key tool for conveying the information
collected on AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis at both national and international level.
The disease data registries and research cells will be used by physicians, epidemiologists,
biostatisticians, pharmacists and computer scientists to study the outbreak of pathologies,
the related clinical characteristics, the management of patients and utilisation and effects
of medicines in the community.

Developing human resources and curricula
Furthermore, specific trainings for university medical professionals, postgraduate students,
health care providers, and other public sectors employers will be offered throughout the
life of the project. Here, European and regional experts will define the training materials
and two study visits will be held in Italy involving epidemiologists, physicians, pharmacists
and researchers. Continuous online training support will be provided and sustained by the Web Collaboration Area (WCA) and the E-learning platform. On the basis of these trainings, the African universities’ staff will be able to develop and implement innovative curricula and postgraduate opportunities for local and regional students.

Improved research to benefit health
The project will have a key input towards researchers and medical professionals fighting
endemic disease improving their skills and know-how. Technology transfer and exchange
activities including technical assistance provided by the European experts in the setting
up of the infrastructures and innovative informative tools will lead to the establishment
of clinical research database that will serve many purposes including performance and
conduct of good clinical practices.

Extensive research carried out on the basis on the collected data will help promote
effective and economic use of medicines and prevent harmful reactions to humans
through: measurement of population-based drug use, identification and validation of
drug safety risks, measurement of population-based benefits of drug use, assessment of
the risk-benefit ratio, provision of rapid response to sudden alerts and implementation
and evaluation of appropriate actions.

In the long term, the project will result in various achievements all geared toward
improving health care provision, practical definition and conduction of good clinical trial
for the improvement of monitoring, evaluating, preventing and controlling the major
endemic diseases in the East African Region.

Grant:

Project duration: August 2008 - November 2010

EU funding: EUR 500.000,00

Total budget: EUR 617.011,67

Project contact:

Dr.ssa Marisa de Rosa,
CINECA
Tel: 0039 51 617 1411
Fax: 0039 51 613 2198
Email: m.derosa@cineca.it
Website: www.cineca.it

Project website: MEDISHARE

Factsheet(s):

EN MEDISHARE.pdf

Francesco Natale

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… financed by the European Union and Implemented by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States Secretariat, the programme supports cooperative projects between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the ACP Group of States, the EU Member States and other eligible countries. more about EDULINK...