Peace Corps, PEPFAR, Global Health Service Corps launch public-private partnership to place medical professionals overseas

The Peace Corps, PEPFAR and the Global Health Service Corps on Tuesday will announce a public-private partnership program to place U.S. health workers overseas to help address medical professional shortages, CQ HealthBeat reports (Bristol, 3/12). "The Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP) will address health professional shortages by investing in capacity and building support for existing medical and nursing education programs in less-developed countries," a joint press release (.pdf) states, adding, "The new program is expected to begin in Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda in July 2013."

"Under the new partnership, GHSP volunteers will primarily function as medical or nursing educators, working alongside local faculty counterparts to teach and transfer clinical skills," the press release states. It continues, "Volunteers will also participate in direct medical care appropriate to effective education and mentorship" (3/13). "Lincoln Chen, who founded the Harvard Global Equity Initiative in 2001 and now heads the China Medical Board, said in an interview that the lack of medical educators is 'the biggest crisis' facing countries trying to improve their health systems," CQ HealthBeat notes (3/12). A fact sheet (.pdf) on the GHSP is available online (3/13).