Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa trains young Pediatricians

Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) has partnered with the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) to build capacity of young paediatricians to reduce the rate of infant and child mortality in African countries.

The ‘ESPGHAN Goes Africa’ partnership is a postgraduate course, which focuses on important clinical problems in paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.

The course aimed at giving medical practitioners in the continent the platform for networking and interacting with each other on clinical and scientific problems in the various institutions and countries where they work.

Supported by the Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition division of Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, the course faculty was composed of experienced members of ESPGHAN.

Participants were drawn from Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, and Tanzania.

The first module ran between 1 March and 7 March. Students will continue e-learning training in nutrition and complete the course with the second module taking place in October 2015. Successful participants will then be issued a certificate by the University of Cape Town.

Since its inception, over 100 paediatricians have been trained from various countries in Africa so far.

Dedicated to the science of nutrition in Africa, NNIA creates enabling platforms for health care professionals to discuss and share knowledge.

Interacting with the media, participants from Ghana and Nigeria shared their experience.

Dr Kwabena Agyeman from Ghana said “ESPGHAN is a very educative platform to train paediatricians in the area of Gastroentology and Hepatology since there are very few specialists in that area in Africa”.

Dr Agozie Ubezie from Nigeria said the workshop had greatly improved her knowledge of gastrointestinal, liver and nutritional disorders in children.

She said: “Through the involvement of an international faculty and participants from across Africa, ESPGHAN provided a great learning, knowledge and experience sharing opportunity”.

NNI A is part of the Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI), the world’s largest private publisher of nutritional information. As well as having published more than 3000 papers, NNI offers a selection of more than 400 online conferences, and organizes scientific workshops and satellite symposia with leading nutrition experts.