OVERVIEW
The Afghanistan Medical Education Community is an activity of the Higher Education Project (HEP).

The goal of the HEP project is to improve the quality of medical education in Afghanistan. The primary objectives are to further pre-service seven-year medical training, the Bachelor in Sciences nursing program, and public health trainings to better meet health workforce needs. Project activities focus on Kabul Medical University (KMU) as well as six medical schools in the provinces of Kapisa, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar, Khost, and Kandahar. The focus of HEP Medical Education is to:

• Build the capacity of 250 medical and nursing teaching faculty.

• Establish a well-trained cadre of doctors and nurses whom can deliver the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) and Essential Package of Hospital Services (EPHS).

• Establish a new Masters’ in Public Health (MPH) degree.

ACTIVITIES
• Develop the faculty’s teaching capacity at the medical schools at the undergraduate and graduate levels for both the nursing and medical (doctor) programs of study. Included in the capacity development is training in clinical rotation skills and patient evaluation, English language training, and computer-based hands-on practice. Medical content experts, both Afghan and international, conduct short courses, training sessions, and seminars on topics of interest to teaching faculty. English classes are provided based on current skill level of the Faculty with an ultimate goal of certifying them as English language instructors.

• Update the teaching content so that all knowledge and information is evidence-based. Project staff work with the KMU planners and committees, the MoHE, and teaching faculties to tailor the teaching content to the real-world application of knowledge vital to Afghanistan’s public health and health care needs.

• Facilitate a Public Health Task Force that recommends and designs the Masters’ in Public Health curricula and policy.

• Manage a Professional Development Center (PDC) that provides on-line access to English language medical, nursing, and public health journals as well as e-learning courses; HEP-ME staff provide training in “how to” access and utilize these materials. The PDC is a fully equipped learning center for KMU faculty consisting of computer training rooms, a resource center with textbooks and a computer café providing internet access. Future endeavors include space expansion, to provide on-line services and internet to over 1,500 medical and nursing students at KMU.