Expand training capacity
Increase the number of trained medical doctors and healthcare workers
Touch Foundation has expanded the pipeline of healthcare workers in Tanzania so that the output of just one medical school will increase the total number of MDs in the country by a third by 2014 and double the number of doctors in a rural region of sub-Saharan Africa of 13 million people.
We are:
Supporting medical student scholarships
The cost of training a medical doctor in Tanzania is roughly $35,000 for the entire five-year training program, which is approximately 1/12 of the cost in the US or Europe. The cost of training a nurse is considerably less and takes a shorter time. Touch currently supports 1,000 students (500 of whom are MD candidates).
Advising government on national medical education policies
The Touch Foundation analyzed the growth potential of different training schools which could achieve their goal of increasing student intake in health training programs. This plan, the Twiga Initiative, was adopted as a national policy by the Tanzanian Health Ministry. We also worked with the Tanzanian government in their Global Fund application which secured $176 million for the further expansion of healthcare worker training in the country.