Strengthening Global Health Ties Between Jaffna and Singapore

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Strengthening Global Health Ties Between Jaffna and Singapore

Just three months after the inauguration of the Jaffna Regional Collaborating Centre, the two partners—the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre and the University of Jaffna—gathered on 15 August 2024 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, to celebrate the progress of the 14 multidisciplinary global health projects active under the partnership and discuss the next steps in the implementation of these projects.

A delegation of 11 professionals from the AMC travelled to Sri Lanka for this first progress meeting, where they met with their counterparts from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Jaffna. During their discussions, the partners touched upon topics ranging from trauma care and mental health to capacity building in neuroscience nursing, addressing challenges, optimising resources and streamlining workflows—all for better health outcomes.

A delegation of 11 AMC professionals, excited to reunite with their partners in Jaffna. From left to right, back row: P. Pirasanth, Foo Suan Jong, Jonas Karlstroem, Stephanie Batot, Hiang Khoon Tan, Ashley Teo, Vikneswaran Namasivayam, Prof Thomas Coffman, Vijaya Rao, Jai Rao and front row: Irene Ang, Christine Thayaparan, Nicole Lee.

The Jaffna-based team together with visiting Singapore team members review ongoing projects and future plans

Speaking at the beginning of the meeting, Duke-NUS Dean Professor Thomas Coffman said that Duke-NUS and the AMC, through the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI), are firmly committed to advancing global health in the region, so that knowledge and best practices can be shared readily to improve the accessibility and quality of care for all citizens in the region.

He added that the partnership with Jaffna, which pre-dates the launch of the regional collaboration centre, is built on trust and an openness, where ideas and interactions are exchanged freely, making this an important node in the regional network for the AMC.

“I am really looking forward to hearing about the progress,” concluded Prof Coffman, who also delivered on the next day the keynote address at the Faculty of Medicine’s Research Conference as their chief guest, sharing his insights on the latest treatments in chronic kidney disease.

Clin Assoc Prof Tan also highlighted that the ties between the two institutions run deep: “SDGHI, alongside the wider SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, is engaged in 110 active programmes with partners across 20 countries. When considering the establishment of a regional collaborating centre, Jaffna emerged as a natural choice, given our numerous existing programmes and our long-standing relationship. We are also deeply impressed by Jaffna’s unwavering commitment to pursuing academic medicine despite the demanding clinical workload. We are truly delighted and honoured to be here as partners.”

The visit coincided with two key milestones for the University of Jaffna—the launch of the new Clinical Trial Unit at the University’s Clinical Training and Research Block and the University’s 50th anniversary.

With significant progress, new units and multiple anniversaries (Duke-NUS, too, is marking its 20th anniversary year) to celebrate, the partners treated everyone to a huge cake, in the shape of two buildings representing our Duke-NUS Medical School.

Left: Prof Nadarajah Sreeharan, Visiting Professor, Kings College, London cheering on the official opening of the Clinical Trial Unit (CTU)

One of the ongoing projects discussed during the meeting was an initiative called Building nuRses cApability In jaffNa (BRAIN). This collaboration is designed to create a structured neuroscience nursing training programme for nurses working with patients suffering from neurological disorders, such as traumatic brain injury and stroke. The project, which brings together the National Neuroscience Institute, the newly launched Centre for Global Nursing and the Teaching Hospital Jaffna, is supported by an SDGHI Pilot Grant for Nursing, Allied Health, and Pharmacy.

So far, in collaboration with the Jaffna University School of Nursing, the team has developed a core neuroscience clinical curriculum for nurses. They are now working on a localised training programme for traumatic brain injury and stroke, with plansto enrol their first participants next year.

“This project holds a lot of potential,” said Dr Jai Rao, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery and Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon at NNI. “In the future, we aim to broaden the curriculum to encompass training specifically tailored for ICU and Emergency Department nurses. Additionally, we are committed to extending our reach beyond Jaffna, transforming this initiative into a valuable resource not just for one city, but for the entire region.”

Clinical Associate Professor Tan Hiang Khoon, SDGHI Director, underscored the importance of such initiatives during the progress meeting: “Training nurses is a huge need in the region. It elevates not just care delivery but the lives of people in general.”

Looking ahead, the two institutions are keen to broaden their partnership beyond the existing 14 active programmes to further elevate healthcare education and research in the region.

As a global health champion, SDGHI is committed to deepening existing relationships, while actively seeking new partners across the region who share a commitment to advancing global health.

The delegation at the Research Conference of Faculty of Medicine in Jaffna. Prof Nadarajah Sreeharan, Prof Coffman, Prof S. Srisatkunarajah, Vice Chancellor, University of Jaffna, and Prof Suren, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, were given ceremonial gowns as part of the opening ceremony.

This article was originally published on the Duke-NUS Medical School website.

Strengthening Global Health Ties Between Jaffna and Singapore

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