On the Thai-Burma border, Hope 4 the World partners with the Karen Department of Health and Welfare to train local people as healthcare workers (called ‘medics’) to staff the 50 medical clinics which provide healthcare to the Karen people in the mountains of the Karen State of Burma.
This medic training programme takes bright and dedicated Karen nationals, most with only one or two years of secondary education and a basic knowledge of community health, and puts them through a 26-week training programme designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills to act as the competent providers of healthcare to their remote communities. This is followed by 26 weeks of training in public health and 13 weeks of practical training in a hospital and clinic environment to consolidate their skills.
This training is provided by many volunteer doctors, nurses, midwives and dentists from the UK who visit for a short period to teach their speciality.
