Medical education in Laos

Abstract

Medical education in Laos has undergone significant developments over the last century. A transition from a foreign to locally trained medical workforce has taken place, with international partners having an ongoing presence. Undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in Laos is now delivered by a single, government administered university. The transition to locally based training has had many flow-on benefits, including the retention of Lao doctors in the country and having graduates who are familiar with the local health system. A number of challenges do however exist. Medical resources in the Lao language are limited, teacher numbers and capacity are lacking and complex factors have led to a lack of uniformity in graduate competencies. Despite these challenges, the situation for medical education in Laos is a story of great optimism. Local staff has recognized the need for simple yet innovative solutions and processes are in place for the establishment of a licensing system for medical doctors and reforming existing curricula. Sustained, long-term relationships with partner organizations along with constructive use of technology are likely to be important factors affecting the future direction of medical education in Laos.

Acknowledgments

We give thanks to Dr Kathryn Sweet and Professor Glenn Bowes for the expertise and advice they provided in the publication of this paper.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Timothy Alan Wittick

Dr Timothy Alan Wittick, MBBS (Hons), FRACGP, MPHTM, CWH, GradCertClinEd, is a General Practitioner from Melbourne, Australia. He worked with the University of Health Sciences based in Vientiane in a volunteer capacity as a medical educator in 2016 and 2017.

Ketsomsouk Bouphavanh

Dr Ketsomsouk Bouphavanh, MD, MPH, is the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Health Sciences. He has extensive experience working in medical education in Laos over many decades and was the former Director of the Education Development Centre which is now the Institute of Research and Education Development.

Vannyda Namvongsa

Dr Vannyda Namvongsa, MD, is a pediatrician based at Setthathirath Hospital in Vientiane. She is involved in both medical student and postgraduate pediatric education activities in Laos and is the Deputy Director of Medical Education at Setthathirath Hospital.

Amphay Khounthep

Dr Amphay Khounthep, MD, works as a medical educator at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Health Sciences and is concurrently completing her residency in internal medicine.

Amy Gray

Dr Amy Gray, MBBS(Hons), PhD, FRACP, GradDipClinEd, BMedSc, is a pediatrician and Director of Medical Education at the Royal Children’s Hospital. She works in educational research both in low and high resource settings aiming to understand how educational interventions can improve care outcomes. Her PhD was undertaken in Laos examining the impact of a guideline-based multifaceted intervention on care for children.