Source: School of Public Health
Written by: Xie Jiaxin, Li Jinyue, Yang Guoyi, Liang Zichao, Rubee Dev
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

Under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework, the School of Public Health at Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), China and the School of Medical Sciences at the Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal launched the student exchange program in November 2018. With the joint efforts from both sides, the exchange program achieved good results last year. In November 2019, a 4-week student exchange program was carried out to deepen the cooperation under the BRI and to cultivate the talents with global health capacity. Under the guidance of the faculty members，two graduate students and six undergraduate students from the School of Public Health as well as three graduate students from the School of Nursing at SYSU participated in the exchange program at Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal from November 17 to December 16, 2019. During the project, faculty members and students learned about the design of healthcare delivery and daily operations of the hospital and the national health system through class presentations and group discussions at the School of Medical Sciences, Kathmandu University. Besides the hospital visit, the students visited several primary healthcare centers and outreach centers located in the remote hilly municipalities of Nepal and assisted in one of the community-based diabetes screening program held in Panauti municipality, Nepal. This project expanded the student exchange and training program and broadened the students’ global horizons.

To understand the hospital system
At the first two weeks, the faculty members and students visited the hospital's outpatient department, inpatient department, experimental center, community health development center and other departments in groups under the guidance of the hospital staff. They also participated in the implementation of local programs, including nurse-led diabetes counseling, pulmonary function tests, drug counseling, and family immunization and contraception program. In addition, they learned about three international projects on infectious diseases and water sanitation conducted by the team of researchers at the hospital.

To participate in class presentations and group discussions in the local medical school

On November 22, students from the School of Public Health and School of Nursing, SYSU and graduate students from the School of Medical Sciences, KU had an in-depth discussion on health issues and healthcare systems ofthe two countries. In the class, the students learned about the health problems, health policies, the burden of diseases, and the health insurance system in Nepal. At the same time, two graduate students from the School of Public Health and School of Nursing gave a detailed presentation of the corresponding situation in China. Then, they discussed the differences of major health problems and risk factors between Nepal and China. Through the discussion, they developed a deeper understanding of global health issues and the differences in health conditions and systems between the two countries.

To Participate in the health education in a community health service center

Within four weeks, the students went to 4 different community service centers of Dhulikhel Hospital for learning and practice. They not only learned about the local primary health service system and operating model, but also engaged in the health education at a primary school in Sindhupalchowk district and the family immunization and contraception program in Baluwa District Health Service Center. In addition, they participated in the launch of a mobile-health related project on women's health at a primary medical and health station in Kushadevi as part of the Mother and Infant Research Activities (MIRA) project. On the same day, local staff at the health center gave an introduction about local traditional medicine (known as Ayurveda in Nepali) and different community projects.

Community-based diabetes and pre-diabetes screening program

On December 9, the students followed the staff of the community department of Dhulikhel Hospital to a community health service center to carry out a diabetes community screening project under the guidance of Nepalese nurses. After a short opening meeting, everyone was devoted to the intense work. They completed the measurement of height, waist circumference, blood glucose and blood pressure in groups, and participated in the information input and result interpretation to the participants. During the event, students not only applied their theoretical knowledge to practice, but also learned the issues of project management and fieldwork.

Visit to the Primary Health Care Center, Dhulikhel
They also visited Dhulikhel government agencies and traditional Nepalese medical institutions to communicate with local medical personnel and participated in the preliminary preparations for the USP (Unannounced Standardized Patient) project in Nepal.

The student exchange program in Nepal achieved a great success. This project promoted the effective transformation of professional knowledge from classroom to practice, broadened the students’ global vision and improved their sense of responsibilities. It also promoted the exchange and cooperation between the two universities, training public health talents for the global health cause.