This Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) service for global primary care doctors, was launched by medi+WORLD International, September 2005. It is available free of charge to all doctors in World Bank designated 'Low Income' countries and heavily discounted for 'Middle Income' countries.(1)

medi+WORLD International are leading global medical education strategists, for both primary care doctors and specialists. Most education solutions use ICT (Information and Communications Technology) with multimedia CD as the preferred platform.

An ongoing project with CCORE (Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the United Nations, has just completed five pilot country trials in Pakistan, Egypt, Argentina, Malaysia and the Philippines. This educational project was financed by the IAEA to overcome a world shortage of oncologists and to lift the skills of often, untrained oncologists, working in developing nations. Multimedia CD was chosen as the current best platform for international education and the project involved ground-breaking work in the fields of logic, technology, and educational methods.

At the end of the trial period, the project was deemed a success by the IAEA and the work will now be translated to further its reach.

The appalling lack of quality medical education where it is most needed, was highlighted by the project, and many lessons were learned regarding the delivery of distance medical education.

medi+WORLD International, who are primarily publishers of quality assured continuing medical education and continuing professional development programs for primary care doctors have used this experience to provide a full CME/CPD program, online, and on CD, for global primary care doctors. All education is written as international medical education from the outset. Best practices are spelt out, but where possible, alternatives suggested for practitioners who may not have access to high-end facilities or therapeutics. Eighty percent of presentations in general practice have been covered at launch, with programs under development to cover the remainder.

All programs are also written for those with English as a second language (ESL) and respect all cultures, religions, and sexes.

Education is in the form of interactive case presentations including all relevant tests, radiological images, pathology. Education includes psycho-social issues of both doctor and patient behaviours. Case presentations are complemented by over 90 medical training (digitised) videos in a wide range of topics.

At launch, several large countries, on the free list, are looking to use it as their formal CME or FMP education, and this is facilitated by inbuilt tracking and scoring 'behind the scenes', with direct electronic reporting.

World CME has an international advisory board drawn from all regions of the world and is a genuine endeavour, by all involved, to provide parity of resources for all doctors and their patients.

Middle East, Southern Asia and African countries that qualify for free access to the site include, among others: Azerbaijan, India, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Djibouti, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Uganda, Nepal, Cote D'Ivoire, Rwanda, Chad, Mozambique, Tajikistan, Kenya, Eritrea, Mali, Nigeria, Zambia, Niger, Yemen - Rep, Madagascar, Congo - Rep, Ethiopia, Congo - Dem. Rep, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Afghanistan, Bhutan, , Iraq, Liberia, Libya, , Qatar, Sao Somalia, West Bank and Gaza, Kosovo and Kyrgyzstan.

References:
1. World Bank Report April 2005, using Atlas Method and PPP. (http://www.worldbank.org/data/ )