Education Exchange Programme
Strengthening Global Healthcare Partnerships
Mildmay’s Education Exchange (EdEx) Programme connects healthcare professionals in the UK with their counterparts at Kumi Hospital in Uganda, fostering long-term partnerships that strengthen healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings. The programme is a vital part of our mission to support the most vulnerable, both locally and globally.
Why This Matters
Our goal is simple: to build healthcare capacity in Uganda while enriching the training of NHS doctors and clinicians. This reciprocal knowledge exchange is crucial in addressing global healthcare disparities.
Key Achievements of the EdEx Programme
Since its launch, EdEx has had a positive impact on both Mildmay and Kumi Hospital. We’ve successfully sent trainee GPs and other clinicians to Uganda, where they have broadened their experience and developed their clinical skills by working in a resource-constrained environment.
Dr Helen Rochford And Dr Amy Cleese, the trainee GPs who completed the pilot visit in 2023
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Hands-On Learning: UK clinicians are exposed to conditions such as malaria and tuberculosis in resource-limited settings in the Global South, expanding their clinical repertoire.
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Cultural Exchange: Participants gain an understanding of faith-based care, which is central to Kumi Hospital’s ethos.
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Capacity Building: Through knowledge exchange, Ugandan healthcare professionals benefit from the introduction of new skills and practices that improve patient care.
Highlights include:
Kumi Hospital
Expanding the Programme: 2025 and Beyond
Following a successful pilot in March 2023, the programme expanded, with more doctors and clinicians participating in a highly impactful exchange.
Moving forward, we aim to broaden the scope of EdEx by sending a wider range of healthcare professionals.
We also plan to include qualified senior doctors who can share their wealth of expertise.
In addition, we're excited that Mildmay Uganda is aiming to partner with us and has invited our Medical Director, Dr Simon Rackstraw, to give a series of lectures in Uganda.
Simon is a world-renowned HIV consultant with nearly 30 years of experience, and sharing his expertise will be unique and invaluable.
Kumi Hospital nurses
How You Can Help
The success of the EdEx programme depends on the support of people like you. Your contribution will allow us to send more doctors, extend the length of placements, and ensure that Kumi Hospital continues to receive the training and resources it needs to thrive. Here’s how your donation can make a difference:
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£50 can cover in-country transport for UK doctors.
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£500 can provide medical supplies for Kumi Hospital’s community outreach programme.
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£3,000 can fund a full EdEx placement, including travel, accommodation, and supervision.
Together, we can ensure that vulnerable communities in Uganda receive the healthcare they deserve while enriching the experience and skills of NHS doctors.
By supporting Mildmay’s Education Exchange Programme, you are directly contributing to better healthcare for some of the world’s most underserved populations. Make a lasting impact by donating today.
We aim to send six clinicians every year.
Each placement costs £3,000, including all clinical expenses, travel and accommodation.
These placements enrich UK medical training and improve clinical outcomes in both countries.
We provide important, reciprocal learning experiences for trainee GPs and clinicians from the UK and local clinical staff through short-term placements at Kumi Hospital in Eastern Uganda.
The UK rightly prides itself on the high standards of its medical professionals. However, we believe an essential component of their training is the experience of providing healthcare in resource-limited settings. In such environments, the abundance of facilities, equipment, and support systems that clinicians rely on in the UK are often absent.
Trainee GPs can significantly benefit from the unique challenges and opportunities presented by working in low- and middle-income countries. While a few doctors already seek out these experiences independently, Mildmay aims to make this valuable opportunity available to all our trainee GPs.
Through the EdEx programme, our doctors gain first-hand experience of delivering healthcare in environments with limited resources. This invaluable experience not only sharpens their clinical skills but also broadens their understanding of the global health landscape, ultimately enhancing their ability to deliver care back home.
The EdEx Programme’s benefits for clinicians in the UK
The EdEx Programme provides UK clinicians with a unique opportunity to enhance their clinical skills by working in real-world conditions that differ significantly from those in the UK. Participants gain hands-on experience treating patients in resource-limited environments, where access to high-quality healthcare is limited, and develop a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by local medical teams.
Aligned with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum, the Programme supports clinicians in practising holistically, promoting health, and safeguarding. It also fosters the development of essential teamwork and leadership skills, key components of the NHS healthcare leadership model.
Clinicians will encounter rare conditions and advanced disease presentations, learn new medical techniques, and sharpen their ability to manage risk in under-resourced settings.
This experience not only enhances their professional growth and employability but also demonstrates adaptability and strengthens their capacity to work across diverse healthcare systems.
The EdEx Programme is a valuable addition to any clinician’s training, offering lessons that can be applied both internationally and in the UK. It encourages reflection on medical management approaches in resource-limited settings, while also linking directly to the NHS leadership model.
Benefits to the host country
The EdEx Programme brings significant benefits to the host country by improving access to healthcare. Visiting GP trainees offer high-quality, up-to-date care to patients who might otherwise struggle to receive it. By sharing their knowledge and skills with local healthcare professionals, they help enhance care standards and influence better practices in the long term.
These exchanges foster collaboration and support, boosting morale among local healthcare staff. Over time, these relationships can create lasting networks for sharing expertise and resources, promoting joint research projects, and improving healthcare systems.
Kumi Hospital
Mildmay’s first partner in the EdEx programme.
Kumi Hospital is a 300-bed faith-based rural hospital and NGO and Mildmay’s first partner in the EdEx programme. Located about seven kilometres from Kumi Town in Eastern Uganda, it serves a population of approximately 4 million people.
Despite its resource-limited setting, Kumi Hospital adheres to World Health Organisation standards for medical and surgical care. Most patients, however, are on low incomes and must cover their healthcare costs, as Uganda lacks a national health insurance system. The doctor-to-patient ratio is stark - estimated at one doctor for 20,000 patients, compared to the WHO’s recommendation of one doctor for 10,000 in Africa.
Kumi Hospital clinical staff
Originally established in 1929 as a leprosy treatment centre, Kumi transitioned into a general hospital in 1996, specialising in rehabilitative and reconstructive surgery.
Its reputation attracts patients from far-reaching areas, including South Sudan. Kumi is also a preferred destination for HIV antiretroviral therapy, handling multiple referrals daily across a range of medical fields, including surgery, orthopaedics, general care, and obstetrics.
Kumi Hospital has extensive experience hosting international medical students from both local and international universities. Students complete internships in tropical medicine and public health, participate in outreach to remote communities, and engage in social activities. Time spent at Kumi not only enhances their medical training but also provides life-changing experiences.
Patients waiting for treatment
GP training in the United Kingdom
GPs (General Practitioners) must train for four to six years at medical school and achieve a medical degree, followed by a two-year foundation training programme in the UK or overseas.
Thereafter, specialist GP training is at least three years full-time, normally including 18 months in approved hospital posts and 18 months in an approved GP practice.
To ensure that trainee GPs and clinicians can undertake placements at Kumi Hospital without facing additional financial strain, we are seeking your charitable support for the EdEx Programme.
EdEx not only provides these trainees with an invaluable opportunity to enrich their learning and experience at Mildmay, but it also represents a crucial investment in the future of healthcare - both in the UK and Uganda.
Please help us to enhance the training of UK General Practitioners and improve clinical outcomes in both the UK and Uganda.
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Duration of placement: 14 days
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Number of placements per year: 3
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Number of clinicians per placement: 2
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Cost of placements per year: £18,000
Each placement for two UK practitioners costs a little under £3,000, including all clinical expenses, travel and accommodation.