Student Conference

The HealthServe team were all involved in the recent Students' Conference. Seminars on The Global Health Crisis and A Radical Career Path by Steve Fouch and myself were very well attended. Laura was able to input and answer many questions about electives and other overseas matters from those who thronged the overseas stall. The students' enthusiasm and interest in overseas mission is always an encouragement. Maintaining that interest and bringing them to the point of active involvement overseas is one of our major challenges.

Elective Days

Encouraging an elective placement in a resource poor country is one of the best ways of doing this and can have a life changing impact on those who go. CMF Elective Days in Leeds and London have been well attended and the feedback suggests they are much appreciated, as are the grants we are able to offer towards travel costs. We have also been involved in University and BMA Elective Events.We would be very happy to help you organise an elective event locally. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at healthserve@ cmf.org.uk

ICMDA Sydney 2006

CMF HealthServe will be well represented at this event with both Steve and myself involved in seminars. It means we will both be out of the Office for a couple of weeks, in my case for a month, as I take the opportunity to visit family on the far side of the world.

Annual Report

Steve has been compiling an Annual Report of our activities over the last year which will be out soon and will contain many articles and items of interest. Read on and hopefully be challenged to get more involved in overseas activities.

Mission on the move

Regional Reps should have received a mailing from us, making you aware of the fact that we are willing to move out of the office and provide input on Mission Matters to local and regional events and meetings.You have only to ask and we will seek to oblige. Do take us up on this.

The Developing Health Course at Oak Hill - 23 July – 4 August 2006

The 2006 programme should be up on the overseas website (www.healthserve.org) by the time you read this (as are application forms) and a printed, programme will be available from the Office. Please contact laura.risdale @cmf.org.uk for more information. The course has been moved to later in July this year to avoid a clash with the Sydney ICMDA Conference. Several new speakers have been invited and new topics included and the continuing move to more interactive presentations continues.The programme has been arranged in such a way as to allow for applicants to attend for specific themed days that might be of interest to them.

Developing Health Course CD Rom 2006

A new edition of the CD is planned for later in the year and editing is in hand. The CDs will contain presentations from the 2004/5 Developing Health Course and much else besides. The 2004 CD proved to be an invaluable teaching resource for those working in resource poor countries and over 4,000 copies were distributed. Our strengthening links with TALC will enable both the sharing of materials and an even wider dissemination of the CDs. Our Dental colleagues have produced an excellent updated and expanded version of David Halestrap's excellent manual Simple Dental Care for Rural Hospitals (which was originally a MMA publication).The new booklet - a Dental Training Manual - is available in paper copy and will be included on the new CD.They have also been stimulated to produce a Dental CD of their own!

Re-tyred not retired

Thank you to everyone who has submitted articles for a new edition of this publication. I hope to be able to get down to editing soon. There is still room for more contributions – especially from retired GPs involved in a work overseas. The booklet is intended as a challenge to retirees to consider using their life skills and experience to encourage, support, teach and train expats and nationals working overseas. It will contain reports of what some of our members have done and are doing and will also contain useful information on how to bring your dreams to reality.

Further news from Nigeria

Arising out of our involvement in the Developing Health Course held in Nigeria last year, we have been able to encourage our colleagues in the Nigerian CMDA by giving HealthServe grants to three of their members to help towards the cost of travel to India, to meet up with colleagues in EMFI and EHA and to take part in a medical missions course run by EMFI. The Nigerian CMDA is moving ahead with plans for a second DHC to be held this year.