[Alma Mata] Health Links e-bulletin No 2 - December 2007

[Aisha Latif]

Dear Friend

Welcome to this our second monthly THET e-bulletin which includes news and information relevant to Health Links and THET activities.  

If you have any materials or news, which you would like to publicise, please send the information to susana at thet.org.  Conference and workshop reviews are also welcome.  Unfortunately, we are unable to distribute attachments so please ensure that your item can be pasted into an e-mail message or a website address is given where reports can be downloaded.

Please feel free to forward this e-bulletin to anyone who might be interested.

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FUNDING AND COMPETITIONS

·       A new round for 2007 seedcorn funding grants is now open for Health Links that are starting or at a formative stage.  The deadline for applications is Monday 17th December 2007.  Find out whether your Link is eligible to apply by visiting http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/resourcesandfunding.html. 

·       New grants to evaluate the work of Health Links.  Grants of up to £5,000 are available through a new funding programme launched by THET.  Applications should be submitted by 7th January 2008.  For more details visit http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/resourcesandfunding.html.  

·       The 2008 Royal College of Physicians International Bursaries are now open.  The bursaries are targeted at physicians from low-income and lower-middle-income countries; the deadline for application is 4th January 2008. Successful applicants will be able to attend an RCP conference in the UK and, subject, to availability, a 2-4 week study visit to a relevant specialist unit. For more information visit http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/International/bursaries.htm. 

·       NHS Wales Health Links - £50,000 for the 2008-09 financial year is now available to support Welsh Health Links.  Access the application form on http://www.wales.nhs.uk/documents/WHC(2006)070.pdf.  For more information contact Bethan Johnson, Head of Education Policy, on 02920821616 or visit http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/home.cfm?orgid=44.  Hurry up!  Deadline for applications is 7th December 2007.

NEWS

·       Ipswich-Beira Health Initiative - this Health Link was instrumental in establishing the new faculty of medicine in at the Catholic University of Mozambique in Beira in 2000.  This year, it has seen its first graduates. See and hear a short video on the graduation ceremony and its importance narrated by John Day, UK Coordinator, on   http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2007/09/24/video_nation_mozambique_john_day_video_feature.shtml?comment=response#comment 

 

·      23-25 November Commonwealth Heads of Governments' meeting in Kampala, Uganda - thanks to all the efforts of BUILD and supporters of the linking movement at the event.  Paragraph 79 of the final communiqué reads inter alia "... Heads of Government urged civil society to support partnerships and linking for progress in health systems, education for all and sustaining the environmental resource base...".  You can use this information to promote your Health Link!  Read the full document on https://www.chogm2007.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=116.  

·       Nigel Griffiths MP, is Chair of the All-party Parliamentary Group "Connecting Communities".  The first task of the Group is to encourage NHS Trusts and schools that are linked to invite their local MP for a briefing and urge them to join the All Party Parliamentary Group.  Read full story at http://www.ukowla.org.uk/upload/OWL63%20Final.pdf.  You can find out more about Nigel Griffiths MP on http://www.nigelgriffiths.co.uk/home.  

UPCOMING EVENTS 

 

·       Monday 17th December, London - The Royal College of Physicians is organizing a musical soirée in support of THET.  Members of the RCP and employees, including our own Sylvia Watkins, Postgraduate Development Officer, will play music by Weber, Beethoven and many others.  For more information contact Sylvia on sylvia at thet.org. Admission is free!

·       Monday 25th February 2008 - Instant Sunshine; a talented trio of musicians are performing at the Royal College of Physicians in aid of THET; a drinks reception followed by music promises to be a very entertaining evening.  Further details can be found on THET's Events page on the website http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/fundraising.html

·       3rd or 4th June 2008, London - National Health Links Conference 20 years of Health Links:  What Next?  Mark your diaries!  More information to follow soon.

GOOD PRACTICE

·       Travel Insurance - THET's travel insurance Broker, David Green, has prepared a brief summary of the key areas of cover that might not be included in a standard travel insurance policy and without which, Link participants are exposed.  Read more information about this on http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/downloadablepublications.html. 

·       New Home Office Guidelines for overseas visitors applying for visas to come to the UK by the FCO.  Read more about this on http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/guidance.html. 

·       Online Links Search facility - Remember to join our online Health Links community on http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/staff.html#gs. This is an excellent source of information about what other Health Links are doing, where are they doing it, and their contact information. If you are a student or junior health worker, you can find out what your local and neighboring Trusts and universities are doing and support them. To get your log in information contact Aisha Latif, on aisha at thet.org.  

·       The Kings College -THET - Somaliland Partnerships has supported the training of the first cohort of locally trained doctors in Somaliland. These doctors will provide a much needed boost to the healthcare service, and are the first locally trained doctors to enter the health system since war ended 16 years ago. 

CHANGES AT THET 

·       Penny Humphris is THET's new part-time Health Strategy Adviser.  Penny is the former Director of the NHS Leadership Centre and has held various strategic and operational NHS management posts.  She is taking on David Percy's role championing Health Links around the UK.  More about Penny can be found on http://www.thetftp.users44.donhost.co.uk/NHSdirectorjoinsTHET.pdf. 

·       David Percy, has recently retired as Director for Healthcare Strategy at THET.  David will continue working for THET in a voluntary capacity when he returns from Argentina in 3 months.  We wish him all the best for his retirement.   

·       THET is happy to announce two new additions to the THET Somaliland team.  Ms Roda Ali and Ms Gilmara Nascimento will be on secondment from THET at the Institute of Health Sciences in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Both Roda and Gilmara will be instrumental in formulating a Nurse Tutor training programme at the institute with Roda focusing on curricula development and Gilmara on continued professional development.  We would like to wish them a warm welcome to THET.  More about Roda and Gilmara can be found on http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/staff.html

WORKING OVERSEAS - VACANCIES

·       The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland is in urgent need of a doctor for a short to medium term posting. For further information and a full list of posts needed http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/ednahospital.html. 

 

·      Gulu University, Northern Uganda, has a number of short term voluntary vacancies from September 2007.  If you are interested follow this link for more information http://thetftp.users44.donhost.co.uk/Sabbaticals.pdf. 

 

Kind regards

Aisha Latif

Links Administrator

Tropical Health and Education Trust
5th Floor

1 Wimpole Street

London 

W1G 0AE

 

020 7290 3881