title: Establishing Medical Schools in Limited Resource Settings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One urgent goal of countries in sub-Saharan Africa is to dynamically scale up the education and work force of medical doctors in the training institutions and health facilities, respectively. These countries face challenges related to the rapid scale up which is mostly done without proper strategic planning, without the basic elements of infrastructure development, educational as well as academic and administrative human resources. Medical education done in the context of limited resources is thus compromising the quality of graduates. In the future, a collaborative and need-based approach involving major stakeholders such as medical educators concerned, ministries, planners and policy makers is needed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article identifies the challenges of establishing medical schools and sustaining the quality of education through rapid scale-up in Sub-Saharan Africa in the settings of limited resources. It also outlines the minimum requirements for establishing medical schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  A consensus building workshop was conducted in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, from Nov 8-12, 2013. Participants were professionals from 13 Ethiopian medical schools, and representatives of medical schools from South Sudan, Somaliland, Somalia, and Mozambique. Participants are listed in Appendix 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The governments and stakeholders should jointly develop strategic plans and a roadmaps for opening or expanding medical schools to scale up educational resources. It is advisable that medical schools have autonomy regarding the number of student-intake, student selection, curriculum ownership, resource allocation including for infrastructure and staff development. Health science and medical curricula should be integrated within and harmonized nationally. An educational evaluation framework needs to be embedded in the curricula, and all medical schools should have Health Science Education Development Centers.
authors.affiliation: College of Health Science, Jimma University; Jimma, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Girma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tsinuel
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Coordinator of Health Sciences and Medical Education Development Center, College Health Science, Jimma University; Jimma, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Asaminew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsedeke
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, Transplantation, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital, Germany; Center for International Health, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Siebeck
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matthias
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Education, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, Transplantation, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital, Germany; Center for International Health, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Yirgalem Hospital Medical College, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Desalegn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sebsibe
authors.affiliation: Jimma University Chronic Disease Project, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Mamo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoseph
authors.affiliation: College of Health Science, Jimma University; Jimma, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Haileamlak
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abraham
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D003479:Curriculum; D003906:Developing Countries; D004501:Education, Medical; D006295:Health Resources; D006801:Humans; D010820:Physicians; D012577:Schools, Medical