The term gender-based violence (GBV) is used to distinguish violence that targets individuals or groups of individuals on the basis of their gender from other forms of violence. It often involves acts that are likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm, such as rape, torture, mutilation, sexual slavery, psychological violation, depression and even murder. These conditions usually require medical attention.  Implementing GBV prevention mechanisms is also important. GBV prevention is still relatively new in the region – there is a lot to learn and share about effective and quality approaches. Equipping medical practitioners with an understanding of gender and GBV and the ability to treat GBV is therefore fundamental to the provision of quality health care.

In 2008, the Regional Center for Quality of Health Care (RCQHC) with the regional East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA) and USAID, and as an effort to foster the development of this field, conducted a survey to assess how 45 East African medical schools addressed gender/GBV. Only one in three institutions reported including gender in their curriculum.

RCQHC then lobbied for inclusion of gender and GBV in medical training at the 19th Directors’ Joint Consultative Conference--ECSA’s highest technical committee composed of East Africa’s Permanent Health Secretaries, Health Service Directors, Medical School Deans and Directors of health research institutions. The group agreed unanimously and mandated RCQHC to develop a curriculum for health institutions to adopt. With a new curriculum in hand, RCQHC conducted a training of trainers for 26 senior lecturers from 15 African medical institutions followed by curriculum reviews, adaptation sessions and the provision of technical experts to the institutions that required them.

Today, approximately ten of the 15 institutions which did not originally incorporate gender issues into their training programs now do so, using all or part of RCQHC’s curriculum. Among the first to complete the process with approval from their respective authorities included Kenyatta University School of Health Sciences in Kenya, Gulu University in Uganda and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College in Tanzania.

RCQHC is currently supporting five additional medical institutions with technical experts and materials to help them integrate gender into their training programs.

“Gender is now a common unit in the  teaching module within the Kenyatta University Nursing School & College of Health Sciences – every student has it as a common unit and teaching is standardized now….. The new crop of Medical Students will now be able to respond to gender issues in their medical practices.”

Dr. Peter Mwaniki, Lecturer, Nursing Department, Kenyatta University College of Health Sciences