MEDRIX is looking forward to making another pediatric training course available to dedicated doctors, nurses and health professionals in Vietnam! According to the World Health Organization, limited health supplies and equipment combined with irregular flows of patients leave many health professionals in developing countries without the skills or experience to treat little patients on a holistic level–that is, often their main symptoms are treated to the best of the doctor’s ability or past experience, but may not reveal the root cause. 
MEDRIX encourages the continued use of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) for these passionate doctors and nurses who are determined to make a difference in their communities. The goal of IMCI is to reduce death, illness and disability as well as promoting growth and development in children under the age of five (WHO 2014). IMCI takes into account the many factors that could make a child sick rather than focusing on just one. Recently, we were encouraged to see that areas that had heavily participated in MEDRIX-sponsored IMCI classes had a lower measles outbreak than many other areas of Vietnam. While this cannot be definitively proven to be a result of IMCI, it is very encouraging to see! 
The next pediatric IMCI course will begin in mid-June. We are excited to see that 11 doctors and nurses from very rural and minority communities will be participating. These professionals will be traveling long distances, often at their own expense, to voluntarily complete this course because they are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children and families in their communities. When doctors and nurses represent these rural areas during IMCI classes, this means that the life-saving, holistic goals of this course will travel even further throughout Vietnam to change lives. We will keep you updated as the class begins!
Click here to learn more about the World Health Organization’s IMCI strategy.
