Support Medical Staff through Scholarships

Improve quality of medical care for the community

Young men and women come into the medical profession to make a difference in the lives and health of their community. They are caring and hard working individuals. However, the education system does not typically afford them the comparable education as you would see in a Western country. There are 3 levels of education: certificate (2 years), diploma (3 years), and degree (5 years + 1 year of practice). Most nurses and doctors working in rural areas begin practicing medicine with only 2 years of professional education. 

Karimu wants to support the community to have the best medical care available within the country and is working in coordination with the District Ministry of Health to expand the education of medical staff through a shared cost scholarship program. 

Scholarships are made available to staff working at dispensaries and health centers within Ayalagaya and Arri Wards. To qualify for a scholarship, first the dispensary or health center where the staff member works must be meeting Karimu requirements for safety, reporting, maintenance, and hygiene.

The staff member requesting the scholarship

• Must already have a certificate level of medical education.

• Be employed at a qualifying clinic.

• Be living within the ward at least one year.

• Take the course via distance learning if offered in that fashion.

• Pay for the course upfront and receive 75% reimbursement from Karimu upon successful course completion.

If a course is not available via distance learning, then the District Medical Officer must provide :

• Replacement medical staff personnel during the education term.

• Commitment to keep the person in one of the Arri or Ayalagaya health clinics for as long as the scholarship was provided.

The following table shows the scholarships granted.

Recipients	Facility	Current Qualification	Desired Qualification	Term of Study	Received
	Tsaayo Dispensary	Doctor with diploma	Doctor with degree	2023-2025
	Dareda Kati Health Center	Doctor with diploma	Doctor of Radiology with diploma	2022-2025
	Dareda Kati Health Center	Laboratory Technician Certificate	Laboratory Technician Diploma	2022-2023	October 2023

Benefits:

• Improved quality of healthcare

• Better retention of medical staff

Cost: 

• Karimu cost: ~$3000 annually

• Community cost and/or contribution:

• Medical staff member pays 25% of the course cost

• District Ministry of Health provides replacement personnel during the education terms if the staff member is required to be onsite for learning