Role of MEDSAR-works in Empowering junior medical students, vital contribution to sustainable health care system in Rwanda

¹Benimana Darius

1Department of General Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Huye, Rwanda

Correspondence

Darius BENIMANA

Department of General Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences

University of Rwanda,

Huye, Rwanda.

Email: dariusbenimana@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Medical Students’ Association of Rwanda (MEDSAR) is a student-led organization that works in UR-CMHS to represent medical students of Rwanda. It is not by representing only but helps in sustaining future health care system. This abstract highlights the role of MEDSAR-works in empowering junior medical students mainly lever one medical students. MEDSAR has emerged as a key institution nurturing the development of medical students. New medical students have been found it to cope for the medical school but MEDSAR works has become very important for them. In addition, MEDSAR provide academic events such as mentorship programs, workshops like THR Journo project, and seminars. Through various community outreach programs such as Huye car free day, new medical students take opportunity to participate in health promotion campaigns, volunteer in underserved areas, and contribute to ongoing health related projects. Moreover, MEDSAR promotes networking opportunities amongst new medical students this involves friendship made between junior medical students with their seniors which is usually absent in other faculties. Through its robust academic programs, community engagement initiatives and professional networking opportunities MEDSAR empowers and supports medical students throughout their educational journey. The success of MEDSAR in fostering the growth of medical students serves as a testament to the indispensable role of student associations in furthering medical education and advancing healthcare systems in Rwanda.

KEY WORDS: MEDSAR-works, junior medical students, Health care system, Rwanda

1 | INTRODUCTION

MEDSAR stands for Medical Students’ Association of Rwanda (1). It is a student-led organization that represent medical students in Rwanda it is officially an IFMSA member in Rwanda country (1). The areas of operation of MEDSAR are within the boundaries of the Republic of Rwanda. However, it may extend its activities abroad (1). Most MEDSAR members are in University of Rwanda but also include students from University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), The Adventist School of Medicine of East-Central Africa (ASOME) and Gako Military School. most of the beneficiaries are junior medical students, and its headquarters are in the University of Rwanda College of Medicine and health sciences (1). MEDSAR uses estimates of about 600 volunteers annually to achieve its goals; this is due to the different activities this association contributes to.  MEDSAR works is a generic name that stands for all the activities done by MEDSAR members and EB to achieve its goals.

Globally medical students’ association contributes to the positive impacts both on the members and on the community in general (2). The 2013/14 annual report by IFMSA showed that most of the student association all over the world has contributed to different aspect of health promotion and empowering students (3). In sub-Saharan countries, medical student’s associations have made a great impact in the facilitation of healthcare system such as training medical students to engage in health care activities and engaging them in health promotion activities in their respective countries, this has contributed to the enhanced health care system in Sub-Saharan countries (4).

In such a way, MEDSAR through its six standing committees has made impact in empowering junior medical students in Rwanda.  And it has played a key role in contributing to the health care system in Rwanda. Through different activities, this student association engages its members such as capacity building activities, public health interventions and exchange activities has contributed to the visible contribution of MEDSAR among its members. Junior medical student refers to the medical student who is in the early years of their medical Education, but commonly are referred to third year medical students (5,6). In 2023 above 400 new students joined medical school in Rwanda. Recent study stated that you found around 90-100 students in the class at University of Rwanda; those medical students do not have some relevant information related to medicine and the medical field (7). Their induction and engagement by MEDSAR help them to cope with the transition from secondary school to college.

Although, the health care system in Rwanda gains much more from MEDSAR-works throughout its engagement in health promotion strategies, empowerment of medical students and generation of innovative ideas, that contribute to health enhancement. Rwanda’s healthcare system operates 499 primary health centers and 680 community health posts which are mainly involved with outpatient programs such as immunizations and family planning services, several dispensaries, and 42 district hospitals (8), few numbers of HCPs, where in 2018 there were one doctor 7 nurses and midwives and 3 other health workers per 10,000 populations that served around 13 million people in the country (9). By numerical means, these healthcare systems cannot serve all of the population which is why the students intervention matters.

            2 | OVERVIEW OF MEDSAR WORKS THAT EMPOWERS JUNIOR MEDICAL STUDENT

MEDSAR works started in 1997 when MEDSAR was founded at University of Rwanda¹, and such activities are done intra-university and outside of the university to facilitate the empowerment of medical students and community improvement in general. Some of the activities that contribute to the development of junior medical students include training, professional exchange with international students, and community outreaches among others. Those activities that play a vital role in the development of junior medical students in Rwanda include:

• Community outreaches

The First MEDSAR work is community intervention, these are set of all activities that aim to contribute to the health system in Rwanda such as NCDs screening, SRHR awareness campaigns, School awareness campaigns, Radio talks and others. Those activities capacitate every junior medical student who is engaged in those activities and prepare him/her to be a future health care provider. Here are the examples of these outreach activities that are organized by MEDSAR in collaboration with Huye district. 

Image1. MEDSAR-SCOPH in collaboration with GLOBEMED; NCDs screening and AIDS diagnosis at Matyazo center;

Image 2. Huye car-free day, October 2023 delegates from MEDSAR-SCOPH in collaboration with RPSA-sub-committee of public health carried out NCDS screening and advice provision.                                                                                 

• Trainings and workshops

MEDSAR also organizes important workshops and trainings that contribute to the development of the junior medical students. These trainings are provided on the university level, promote capacity build, stimulate medical students to think more and hence innovate.  Trainings and workshops include academic-related ones, medical sector-related trainings and community intervention stimulations. They include two-days SCOPH first aid training, one-day SCORP training and one- day THR journo MEDSAR research workshop. Those training and workshops contributed to development of the junior medical student by being involved in different activities such as research activities, First aid and other activities.

Image 3: SCOPH first aid training at UR Huye campus,

image 4: SCORP training on the peace and harmony development at UR Huye campus,

Image 5: THR-journo MEDSAR workshop at UR-CMHS¹⁴

• Peer learning program

The peer-learning program is the program of MEDSAR through a standing committee of medical education that aims to facilitate medical students to understand theoretical lessons and hence facilitates each other to understand well theoretical modules such as Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology and others. It has contributed to the increase in academic results among the preclinical students and it has developed some students who are passionate about teaching others.

Image6. Photography of PCL 2 at UR Huye campus in Peer learning program, studying together Anatomy III

• Medical mentorship programs

Junior medical students are empowered by medical mentorship programs; these are the programs in which medical professionals such as medical doctors, lecturers, and professors are invited to discuss with the medical students, talk to them, and show them their medical journey toward their success. This has contributed to the empowerment of junior medical students to have previous experience related to the medical field.

Image7. 25^th September mentorship program with Prof. Dr. Julien K. Gashegu

• Health and Medical related events attendance

These events are prepared by MEDSAR in collaboration with other healthy institutions or those institutions only. A junior medical student who participates in those events gains connections have insights into the health promotion strategies in Rwanda and all over the world. These events also give opportunity to the students to express themselves to health professionals, ask questions, and discuss with the elders the promotion of the medical sector. These include international abortion day , World Anatomy Day , symposiums, and other events .

Image 8: Photography of MEDSAR delegates attended international abortion day; 

image 9: 2nd Anatomy Annual Congress, World Anatomy Day, photography of young medical students, seniors and professionals attended there.

• Induction to new medical students

Induction is all standing committees’ intervention that aims to welcome new medical students in MEDSAR and medicine. It is officially implemented in Huye district and it is planned to expand in all medical schools in Rwanda. Junior medical students interact with senior ones and exchange their medical skills through this induction.

• Exchange with other medical students

This is the program of MEDSAR through a standing committee of professional exchange (SCOPE) other students from other medical universities exchange with local medical students and junior medical students gain more in this exchange. They share also difficulties obtained from their medical education. This exchange also promotes partnerships between local medical students with international through research and other innovation activities.

Image 10: 15^th august 2023, SCOPE Evening convo with international medical students from Sweden, France

• IFMSA Africa Regional Meeting 2023 (ARM)

This event took place from December 5th to 9th, 2023, when medical students from the Africa region gathered in Rwanda. The event brought numerous benefits to local medical students, particularly junior medical students in Rwanda. For example, some students received training in various IFMSA programs, giving them the opportunity to become IFMSA trainers and facilitators. This event also allowed Rwandan medical students to interact with their peers from other regions, enabling them to learn from each other, which improved the network of junior medical students.

Image 11: ARM Kigali logo

  4 | BENEFITS OF JUNIOR MEDICAL STUDENTS FROM MEDSAR-WORKS

MEDSAR’s activities have played an important contribution to the empowerment of the medical students; especially junior ones, by providing them opportunity to participate and interact in different activities, they gain skills that are relevant in their medical field and they learn while practicing.

Some of the benefits that are gained by junior medical students include:

1. Capacity building

Throughout their outreaches participation, junior medical students attain skills that are important in medical sector. In addition, workshops and trainings trains them to carry out different initiatives and activities. Such activities help junior medical students to be aware of medical field in Rwanda and hence they are capacitated to be successful health care providers.

• Networking

Engagement of junior medical students in different activities, gives them link to their elders in career, professionals in field, lectures and professors as well. This contributes to junior medical students being a part of medical sector, improve their communication and get sponsorships and advices from professionals.

• Engagement in health promotion

When a junior medical student participates in health outreach, awareness campaigns, radio awareness talks and interventions in his early years, helps him/her to become a good health care provider. Engagement in health promotion strategies teaches a junior medical student-recognizing gap in medical sector.

• Career development

Mentorship programs contribute a lot in development of a younger medical student ^x. They gain skills, share their obstacles, which train those medical students to cope their medical school.  Engagement in some diagnostic and treatment activities, students start act like doctors before their clinical years, which is good step in career pathway.

• Academic benefit

Junior medical students gain academically from MEDSAR activities. Such activities include induction and peer learning programs. Induction provides to them information that are relevant to medicine and tips to pass medical school. Peer learning program become very effective way for preclinical students to study difficult theories and modules, and this is where understanding of modules is given.

   5 | RWANDA’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM BENEFITS FROM EMPOWERING JUNIOR MEDICAL STUDENTS. 

Rwanda’s health care system gains more from MEDSAR works. By the activities, that MEDSAR does for medical students and towards the community as well. Due to low health care resources such as few health care providers and few health facilities in Rwanda, activities of MEDSAR that nurture junior medical students contribute to the promotion of the health care system in Rwanda. Some of the benefits of MEDSAR works to Rwanda’s health care system are;

• Healthcare professionals yield

From the experience medical students gain from their early years, they finalize their medical school with experienced aspects of curing people, and they have skills that meet the hospital requirements.

• Sustainable health promotion 

From the intervention of younger medical students to health care promotion, this contributes to a predicted long-lasting health care delivery. Moreover, it is the proper way to prepare future generations where all medical practitioners have been capacitated before to contribute to health.

• Increased volunteerism

Having more than 600 healthcare volunteers annually is a good issue for the health care system in Rwanda. This also helps the promotion of health now and in the future, Rwanda’s health care system will have medical doctors that will be willing to help to promote health in Rwanda. 

• Partnership in healthcare delivery

Due to the high population, only health care providers cannot demand patients. That is where MEDSAR collaborates with current healthcare systems in Rwanda to contribute to sustainable health status in Rwanda. This has contributed to centralized health provision to all citizens, and it has made an impact on wellbeing of citizens.

 6 | DISCUSSION

There is significant engagement among junior medical students in MEDSAR activities, which is effective in building the healthcare system of our country. Medical students are the future doctors of our nation, and they will become the future policymakers and innovators. This supports all activities undertaken by MEDSAR in empowering students, helping them discover their interests, and supporting their various programs (1)

However, there is a lack of projects and initiatives generated by young medical students within the MEDSAR schedule, which may contribute to a decline in interest among some students. This issue can be attributed to various factors, including a settled action plan that is challenging to incorporate new projects, inadequate training for junior students in project management, and other obstacles. Additionally, insufficient funding for MEDSAR hinders its ability to achieve its goals of empowering junior medical students, which is crucial for contributing to a sustainable healthcare system. Due to differing objectives, some funds are allocated to support community education programs, conferences, and training, while others focus on the development of young individuals, which is vital for their empowerment.

There is much to be done to improve and increase the number of students empowered by MEDSAR’s activities. This includes creating a platform that enables junior medical students to showcase their projects and initiatives, which would be a valuable approach to achieving sustainable healthcare delivery (11) The MEDSAR Journal is recommended to enhance the visibility of undergraduate research projects. Furthermore, conducting more workshops and training sessions is essential to improve the project planning and implementation skills of junior students. Lastly, increased investment in activities aimed at empowering younger students is required.

  7 | CONCLUSION

In conclusion, MEDSAR as a student-led organization, has significant contributions to the empowerment of junior medical students in Rwanda. Through community outreaches, pieces of training and workshops, peer learning programs, medical mentorship programs, and participation in health and medical-related events, junior medical students have gained valuable skills, expanded their networks, and improved their academic performance. 

Additionally, Rwanda’s healthcare system has benefited from the involvement of junior medical students in MEDSAR activities, such as increased healthcare professionals yield, sustainable health promotion, increased volunteerism, and partnership in healthcare delivery.

 

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

 Darius BENIMANA: Conceptualization; methodology; project administration; supervision; validation; writing—original draft

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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