Using The Rotary International´s Platform to Create Long-Term Skills Transfer and Vocational Training Opportunities for Cancer Care in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background and context: Rotary International (RI) is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. The Rotary Club of Dhaka Mavericks, with the notion to work on cancer care has partnered with an US-based organization to bring cancer care specialists from the US. These 2 partners mainly work with the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, the government-owned tertiary level cancer care and research institute in Bangladesh, to transfer the skills and provide vocational training to Bangladeshi oncologists, nurses and allied health professionals by oncologists, nurses and allied health professionals from the US. Aim: The overall aim of this project is to create a cadre of cancer care professionals - oncologists, nurses and allied health professionals - in Bangladesh who would have the vocational skills through on-the-job training and skills transfer session from experienced and skilled oncologists, nurses and allied health professionals from the US. Strategy/Tactics: The international platform of RI has been used to reach out to a US-based not-for-profit organization Partners for World Health. This US-based organization has sourced in cancer care professionals from the US and brought them to Bangladesh using the partnership of 1 rotary club in the US and another rotary club in Dhaka. Later on, these 2 Rotary Clubs and Partners for World Health collaborated with the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, where this long-term skills transfer and vocational sessions are taking place. Program process: In this partnership, the Rotary Clubs and the US-based organization arranged all necessary funding and relevant permission and accreditation, while the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital patients - who were served - and oncologists, nurses and allied health professionals - who were trained. Outcomes: This partnership is currently for 5 years starting from October of 2017. The plan is to have 2-week vocational and skills transfer session every 6 months. The first session took place in October of 2017 and the second one on March of 2018. The third session will take place on October of 2018. In the October 2018 session, total 100 doctors and 35 nurses were trained on US standard cancer treatment protocols and chemotherapy administration. Number of complicated surgical techniques were also taught to the Bangladeshi surgeons by the US team. During the March session, the focus was on radiation oncology. A total of 100 radiation oncologists were trained on March of 2018.