Assisting African ministries of health in implementing national health priorities through management and leadership training for healthcare workers
The Management Development Institute (MDI) enhances the management and leadership skills of sub-Saharan healthcare professionals through a one-week in-residence training program and up to a year-long supported project. Participants gain access to management tools, frameworks and knowledge that enables them to increase the quantity, improve quality and expand access to health services.
By developing effective managers, the MDI supports the improvement of health systems throughout Africa. Since its inception in 2006, more than 1,700 participants from 39 African countries have graduated from this program. In 2018 and 2019 MDI was taught in three languages: English, French and Portuguese.
1,700+
health care workers trained
39
countries
The MDI program was originally designed by world-class management faculty from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and by leaders of Amref Health Africa. The program has been greatly enhanced and widened by the business school partners and their faculty on the continent. The MDI has been delivered by outstanding faculty from:
Program Vision
To improve health in vulnerable communities throughout Sub-Saharan Africa by developing the leadership and management skills of frontline healthcare workers (FLHWs), including nurses and midwives. The MDI program pursues this vision by increasing FLHWs effectiveness in leadership and management, driving improvements in health systems from training program and implementation of Community Health Improvement Projects (CHIPS), and offering localized training to support national health policies and plans.
Through leadership and management development, health workers are more capable and productive, make fewer medical errors, and relate more positively with patients. With appropriate training, health workers become leaders, innovators, and agents of change who can identify and remedy health system failures
Program Goal
Leadership and management knowledge, skills and abilities can be taught and have a demonstrated impact in enhancing the quantity, quality and access to healthcare for underserved populations. Health systems must achieve more and better health outcomes with the limited human and financial resources at their disposal. Sound management and leadership can significantly increase the efficiency and effectiveness with which these scarce resources are used, while strengthening overall health systems on the continent.
Participants will gain access to management tools, frameworks and knowledge that will enable them to increase the quantity and quality of health services they provide along with improved access to them. The lessons are practical and aimed toward successfully meeting the complex challenges faced by African health systems.
Program Need
Without effective leadership and management of health services, there will be barriers to scaling up service delivery, the development of robust health systems and the achievement of national health priorities in sub-Saharan Africa. This constraint persists due to a shortage of leadership and management expertise in the region and to an uncoordinated and fragmented approach to building this capacity.
Leadership and management knowledge, skills and abilities can be taught and have a demonstrated impact in enhancing the quantity, quality and access to healthcare for underserved populations.
Program Objective
Health systems must achieve more and better health outcomes with the limited human and financial resources at their disposal. Sound management and leadership can significantly increase the efficiency and effectiveness with which these scarce resources are used, while strengthening overall health systems on the continent.
By the end of the 10-year intervention, nurses, midwives, and community health workers are supported to reduce the health workforce coverage gap; improve their competency and self-efficacy to deliver quality care; and strengthen primary and community-based health systems.
Mobile MDI
Johnson & Johnson has been working with GBSN on delivering the Management Development Institute (MDI) training in Sub-Saharan Africa in a traditional face-to-face format for the last 5 years. Since the spread of the global COVID–19 pandemic, conducting in-person training is not possible, nor feasible without placing both facilitators and participants at undue risk. Most importantly, removing healthcare workers from the front lines of the pandemic is not desirable at this particular time.
This year, Johnson & Johnson has enlisted GBSN to transform the face-to-face training to a mobile format. Mobile MDI will be adapted from the traditional MDI program to a fully mobile experience. The training will be mobile phone-based, accessible to participants in a bite-sized format and can be delivered over a longer period.
More Accessible
The MDI program has been effective, but has limited capacity to scale given its in-person design. The Mobile MDI will be designed to preserve the elements of the program which make it effective while redesigning it in a way that makes it more accessible.
Program Resilience
While the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of managerial skills to healthcare workers, it also has revealed that residential programs are vulnerable to disruption. Mobile MDI will be designed to build a more flexible and resilient program that can be easily adapted depending on local circumstances.
Goal
Vulnerable communities have access to high quality health care and consequently experience improved health and well-being.
Strengthen National Health Plans
with more locally-relevant leadership and management development programs. The Mobile MDI program will seek to more proactively position MDI as an important part of implementing national health plans.
New Delivery Model
“Activate” the core curriculum through cohort-based sessions that included localized content and assignments, team-based and peer-to-peer learning, and a Community Health Improvement Project.
Connect Content & Delivery Model
connect the content and delivery model to ensure relevance to changing national health plans. Ultimately, Mobile MDI could potentially satisfy national criteria for offering continuing professional education credit to front line health care workers.
Mobile MDI is a mobile version of the highly successful Management Development Institute (MDI) program, which has provided leadership and management training for frontline health care workers since 2006.
The idea to transform the traditional, week-long training into a mobile version came about due to the spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which made conducting in-person trainings not possible nor feasible without placing both facilitators and participants at undue risk. Most importantly, removing healthcare workers from the frontlines of the pandemic is not desirable at this particular time.
The main objectives are to build on the legacy of MDI while expanding access to the training for nurses and midwives and increasing its relevance to national health plans and learners. The legacy of MDI includes a highly effective mix of general and local content, team-based and peer-to-peer learning, a cornerstone team-centered community project, and the engagement of teaching assistants to provide support for the work.
Mobile MDI is offered in partnership with four of our member schools in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) will support the transformation of the program format and host it on their platform.