Practical global outreach: translating UK clinical experience

Internal and specialist medicine in the UK has much clinical and research expertise that can be effectively shared with clinicians in developing countries to enhance training and clinical practice. The International Society of Nephrology Global Outreach Program (ISN GO) oversees five core initiatives designed to enhance nephrology training and service delivery in developing countries worldwide1–3 (Figure 1). A key element is the ISN Sister Renal Center (SRC) Program that facilitates formal linkage between an emerging nephrology centre in the developing world and a supporting well-established nephrology training centre in the developed world. In this article, we describe the many benefits and lessons learned using a specific example of an ISN SRC link between Minsk in Belarus and Oxford in the UK. Figure 1. Integrated structure of ISN global outreach programs.Belarus (population 10 million) is a key member of the Community of Independent States (CIS) nestled between Poland, Russia, Baltic States and Ukraine. In 1985, the Chernobyl disaster had a direct impact on the southern region of Belarus resulting in high rates of thyroid cancer and considerable international aid. Despite this international attention, the majority of medical services in Belarus have had very little interaction with Western medicine. In 2005, The Oxford Kidney Unit sought to partner with a suitable developing centre with the intention of developing a training link to further local knowledge and expertise in clinical nephrology. The ISN recommended a link with the National Center for Renal Replacement Therapy in Minsk that was identified following a successful ISN-funded fellowship of a Belarusan clinician in Belgium. An initial 4-day site visit by the Oxford unit to Minsk in May 2005 was funded by Oxford charitable funds. It was immediately apparent that there were considerable opportunities for Oxford to contribute to the development of kidney transplantation and dialysis services in …