Effect of civil war on medical education in Liberia

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of civil war on the training of medical students and physicians, and to identify a feasible intervention.The authors compiled data from three sources at an Emergency Medicine symposium held at the A.M. Dogliotti School of Medicine, in Monrovia, Liberia, in September 2007. These were (1) data from 13 anonymous surveys completed by symposium participants who were physicians or physicians in training, and (2) answers from six open discussion groups at the symposium concerning perceived barriers to medical training. (3) Supporting documents volunteered by the Dean from interviews in 2002, 2007 and 2009 or published on line in 2002 and 2006 were incorporated, and a focused literature review was performed.The 12 medical students and 1 physician who returned completed surveys and attended the symposium all reported a delay in their training, with 75% of respondents citing a past and current lack of Clinical and Basic Science faculty as a major delaying factor. The six open discussion groups at the symposium and the information provided by the Dean substantiated these findings.Volunteer Basic Science and Clinical faculty for the medical school and teaching hospitals from a coalition of concerned partnering institutions would be a targeted intervention to assist in re-building the medical educational capacity of Liberia.The A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine of Liberia, West Africa, was established in 1968 through a tripartite arrangement involving the Vatican, the Government of Liberia and the Dogliotti Foundation of Italy. The college had a maximum capacity of 125 students and currently has two schools, the College of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy on the College of Medicine campus. This is the only recognized school of medicine in Liberia and has been the major source of Liberia's qualified physicians. Length of training is 5 years plus a 2-year internship. There is no accredited specialty residency training avai