WINDHOEK – The Russian Alumni Association of Namibia is hosting a three-day mentorship programme at the University of Namibia (Unam)’s Dr Hage Geingob Campus in November. The mentorship programme themed ‘Your gateway into Namibia’s health profession’ will take place from 8 to 10 November.
The public relations officer of the Russian Alumni Association of Namibia, Frans Kalenga, told New Era that at least 100 graduates are expected to participate in the programme.
The mentorship programme was initiated by the association’s members, prompting it to provide a mentorship programme for the 2018 graduates in preparation for the Health Professions Council of Namibia (HPCN) examination, he added.
“… the mentorship programme also serves to fill a technical gap that exists between curriculums of industrialised countries and developing countries like Namibia. Each country designs its educational curriculum based on in its needs, target population, doctor-patients ratio, disease patterns and burdens. However, the core modules of medical schools remain the same everywhere,” Kalenga explained.
He added: “We took the opportunity with both hands as this was one of the resolutions at the recently ended Russian Alumni Association of Namibia second congress. Since then the association has been communicating with HPCN on a number of issues of mutual interest on behalf of our members.” He further stated that the mentors to participate in the mentorship programme are experienced health practitioners who want to plough back and promote quality healthcare in Namibia.
Initially the mentorship programme was meant for Russia, Belarus and Ukraine graduates, however due to the interest from other graduates all medical graduates would be accommodated for this upcoming mentorship programme. The programme will be offered annually, added Kalenga.
Graduates who attend will benefit from the programme, maintained Kalenga. “The mentorship programme serves as their introductory gateway into the Namibian health system and preparation session for the HPCN internship entrance exam,” he said.
The participants will receive lectures in the major medical specialties which will serve as a refresher workshop in diagnosing and treating the most common diseases they will encounter in Namibian hospitals.
The subject of Medical Ethics will be touched on too, to improve on their level of professionalism and respect to self, colleagues, patients and the medical profession. “Therefore we encourage those who are not yet registered into the programme to grab the opportunity and make the most out of it,” shared Kalenga.
He also stressed that future mentorship programmes by the association will not only be for medical graduates. “The Russian Alumni Association of Namibia will organise more mentorship programmes with appropriate presenters to the right audience to cater for the wide range of its members in different fields, ranging from pharmacists, dentists, engineers and lawyers to fill a technical gap that exists and prepare them towards registration of their various bodies that require them to register,” said Kalenga.
About the Russian Alumni Association of Namibia. The Russian Alumni Association of Namibia (RAAN) is an association of the graduates from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Universities and modern Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Russian Federation Universities, registered with the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development of Namibia as a non-profit organization.
RAAN was established to bring the graduates under one umbrella to maintain continuous engagement and communication, to consolidate knowledge, skills and expertise acquired from various fields of studies for the benefit of Namibia’s national development plans and programmes, to engage and coordinate efforts that build bridges of understanding between graduates, professional registration bodies and all stakeholders, to create a platform for beneficial partnership and cooperation with state organs, the private sector and civic societies to mention a few.