Specialty Training Program

Dear Prospective Family Medicine Registrar,

On behalf of the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare (MOHSW) we are very pleased to provide you with information about the new, four-year Family Medicine Specialty Training program the MOHSW has established with Boston University Medical Center and the University of the Free State. The registrar training program is currently accepting applications (PDF - 62 KB) for its third intake. Training will begin on January 2010.

At the end of four years registrars will be superb district physicians. They will have completed a world-class training program that equips them to definitely manage most medical and surgical conditions in all age groups that present at health centers and district hospitals. In addition, registrars will have acquired the public health and management skills that will allow them to identify community needs as well as plan and manage programs in clinical medicine and public health. This program is intended to meet national needs and the needs of physicians planning to practice in Lesotho.

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) with the help of the Kellogg Foundation is working in partnership with the Lesotho Boston Health Alliance (LeBoHA) to transform district hospitals. LeBoHA is the operating arm of the Boston University Medical Center in Lesotho. In addition to the family medicine program, intensive efforts are being made to improve management, employee satisfaction, and patient care within district hospitals. As registrars are training, the professional work environment will be improving. When registrars finish training, they will find practice in Lesotho to be far more appealing. As for QEII, ground breaking for the new national referral hospital is scheduled for early 2009. As one of the Family Medicine registrars, you will be part of the transformation process, and when you finish your training, the districts and the new national hospital at Botshabelo will be places where you will be proud and pleased to work.

In order to provide high quality training, full-time clinical faculty from Boston University, frequently visiting faculty from the University of the Free State (UOFS) and Boston University, and selected clinicians currently practicing in Lesotho will be the core of the training team. The Family Medicine Program Director along with other full-time faculty members will be in residence in Lesotho and will work closely with registrars. Clinical mentoring, working side-by-side with faculty from Boston, Bloemfontein and Lesotho, will be the hallmark of this program. Progressively greater responsibility will be given to registrars as they demonstrate the successful acquisition of needed skills, knowledge and attitudes. There are also plans to develop Lesotho's own M. Med in Family Medicine.

The MOHSW has also sought and obtained commitment of the Lesotho Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Councils as well as the Lesotho Medical Association. We look forward to receiving your application (PDF - 62 KB) and will be pleased to address any concerns and questions you may have. For further details or if you have questions, please contact Dr. Brian Jack at brian.jack@bmc.org.

Sincerely,

Dr. M.M. Moteetee (B.Sc, MB.ChB, MPH)
Director General Health Services

Brian Jack, MD
Clinical Director of LeBoHA
Associate Professor and Vice Chair
Department of Family Medicine
Boston University Medical Center

Bill Bicknell, MD, MPH
Director, LeBoHA
Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health
Boston University Medical Center

Family Medicine Specialty Training Program Brochure (PDF - 1.28 MB)