Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology (Mar 2021)
The Role of National Specialist Societies in Influencing Transformational Change in Low-Middle Income Countries – Reflections on the Model of Implementation for a National Endoscopy Training Programme in Bangladesh
Abstract
Neil Hawkes,1,2 Umakant Dave,3 Mesbah Rahman,2,3 Dafydd Richards,3 Mahmud Hasan,4,5 AHM Rowshon,4 Faruque Ahmed,4,6 M Masudur Rahman,6 MG Kibria,6 Phedra Dodds,7 Bethan Hawkes,8 Stuart Goddard,9 Imdadur Rahman,10 Peter Neville,1 Mark Feeney,11 Gareth Jenkins,12 Keith Lloyd,12 Krish Ragunath,13 Cathryn Edwards,2,11 Simon D Taylor-Robinson14 1Department of Gastroenterology, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, Llantrisant, South Wales, UK; 2British Society of Gastroenterology Central Office, London, UK; 3Department of Gastroenterology, Swansea Bay University Health Board, Swansea, UK; 4Office of the Central Secretariat, Bangladesh Gastroenterology Society, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 5Office of Central Secretariat, Gastroliver Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 6Department of Gastroenterology, Sheikh Russel National Gastroliver Institute and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 7Department of Endoscopy Nursing, Office of the JAG GRS Team, Powys Health Board, Brecon, UK; 8Office of the Wales Cancer Network Pathway, Welsh Cancer Network, Cardiff, UK; 9Welsh Institute of Minimal Access Therapy, Cardiff MediCentre, Welsh Institute for Minimal Access Therapy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; 10Department of Gastroenterology, Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton, UK; 11Department of Gastroenterology and Liver Medicine, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Devon, UK; 12Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, UK; 13Office of the Provost, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bentley Campus, Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; 14Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UKCorrespondence: Neil Hawkes Email [email protected]: The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and the Bangladesh Gastroenterology Society (BGS) have collaborated on an endoscopy training programme, which has grown up over the past decade from a small scheme borne out of the ideas of consultant gastroenterologists in Swansea, South Wales (United Kingdom) to improve gastroenterology services in Bangladesh to become a formalised training programme with broad reach. In this article, we document the socioeconomic and historical problems that beset Bangladesh, the current training needs of doctors and how the BSG-BGS collaboration has made inroads into changing outcomes both for gastroenterologists in Bangladesh, but also for the populations they serve.Keywords: endoscopy training, Bangladesh, training programmes, gastroenterology training