1

PROJECT FOR A TECHNICAL AND

METHODOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE
THE KNOWLEDGE AND ANALYSIS OF MEDICAL
DISEASES IN YEMEN

Association Médicale Franco-Yéménite

January 1999

Association Médicale Franco-Yéménite (AMFY)

57 Av Paul Doumer 75016 Paris
Tel 33-1-45 04 47 72
e-mail : amf-yemen@post.club-nternet.fr

Président : Dr Y. Viallard
Vice-Président : Dr J.F. Hiance
secrétariat : Dr J.L. Georges Fax 33-1-39 63 95 12

PROJET AMFY 99 version du : 30/03/99 JFH/JLG

 2

1. HISTORY OF THE FRENCH-YEMENI MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

(AMFY)

The french medical assistance in yemen began 50 years ago (Dr Février COLLARD,
1948). The French Medical Mission of Taiz (MMF) has been created in 1961 by Dr Yvette
VIALLARD, and officially recognized in 1968. More than 80 french physicians, biologists,
nurses, technicians in radiology, arabist administrative assistants have worked in this mission.
It developed in the Republican Hospital of Taiz into six medical specialities : radiology,
ophtalmology, pneumology, cardiology, internal medicine and infectious diseases, and
pathology laboratory. Concurrently, several yemeni physicians and paramedics have been
recruited and turned out, and some of them have completed their specialization in France.

The French-Yemeni-Medical Association (AMFY) has been created in 1990, just before
the definitive closure of the French Medical Mission, in order to continue a close medical
collaboration, contribute to a better knowledge of the medical problems in Yemen, and keep
and use all the friendship that had been gathered over 30 years of common work. The creation
of AMFY was encouraged and sponsored by Mr Travers et Mr Calvet, respectively vice-
director of scientific and technic cooperation, and director of the Middle-East area in the
french foreign office (Ministère des Affaires Etrangères).

The association maintained close contacts between french and yemeni doctors of Taiz,
Sanaa and Aden. It organized medical meetings in Yemen (the "rencontres médicales franco-
yéménites"), during which many important medical problems in Yemen were interactively
discussed and analysed : endocarditis (1994), traditional pharmacology (1994), new trends in
tuberculosis (1996), rheumatic heart disease (1996), radiology and ultrasound in medicine
(1994, 1996), prevention and care of cerebral vascular accidents (1998).
AMFY also contribute in:
- helping yemeni physicians/paramedics for their post-university training courses in
France, reception and lodging (Dr Viallard)
- mailing and dispatching medical journals and publications in Yemen
- collecting donations of medications and medical equipment for the Republican
Hospital of Taiz.

Until now, the AMFY has been financed by a grant of the french governement, private
donations, and suscriptions of the members. Its actions were supported by the service culturel
et de coopération scientifique of the French embassy in Sanaa, and by the Yemen embassy in
Paris.

PROJET AMFY 99 version du : 30/03/99 JFH/JLG

 3

2. PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The purpose of this project is to bring medical informations and large technical and
methodological assistance, following specific requests of yemeni health professionals, for a
better knowledge and an improvement of care of medical pathologies in Yemen.

3. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

During the 10 years following the closure of the French Medical Mission, medicine in
Yemen has deeply changed : medical schools and university hospitals have been created or
developped, vaccination program have been planed, highly qualified yemeni specialists have
been recruited, and hospital medical equipments have been improved. Concurrently, the need
of substitutive medicine has decreased, and the request of yemeni health professional have
changed to a greater assistance in methodological aspects, analysis of process and
organization, and post graduate educational programs.

Because the French Yemeni Medical Association has gathered a network of medical and
academic experts, all being aware of the specificities of the medical yemeni practice, it
appears useful and necessary to work out a new project for a common work, taking into
consideration the changes in medicine in Yemen and the new requests of our yemeni
colleagues and members.

This project will concern public institutions in Yemen (hospitals, universities) and will
be non-profit making. French experts will volunteer working on this project.

4. METHODS

The methods will associate post graduate educational programs, in Yemen and in France,
and setting up of simple structures allowing a better transmission of medical informations
between France and Yemen.

4.1. Post-graduate medical educational programs in Yemen

4.1.1. Medical meetings
They will continue the "Rencontres Médicales Franco-Yéménites". The basis of the
organization will be almost similar, with some distinctive features as follows :

PROJET AMFY 99 version du : 30/03/99 JFH/JLG

 4

- The medical meeting will focus on the comparison of different experiences concerning
a major health problem in Yemen, chosen by the yemeni organizers
- It will require the active participation of both yemeni and french speakers
- A member of the AMFY will coordinate the meeting, organize the sessions in
collaboration to the yemeni staff, prepare the following actions of AMFY, and write a report
for AMFY and sponsors.
- The medical meeting will essentially deal with the theoretical aspects of the medical
problem, and will be completed by the other actions of formation (workshops, training
courses), which are detailed below
- Periodicity : 1 à 2 by year
- Unique place (turnround between Sanaa, Aden, Taiz)
- Duration : 3 days
- French team members : 2 to 3 (1 yo 2 experts and one AMFY's board member)

4.1.2. Workshops of medical techniques

- The topics will be the same that those chosen for the medical meeting, or be different
and open on further common works.
- Medical techniques involved : ultrasound/echography, diagnostic or interventional
radiology , CT-scan, laboratory techniques, etc…
- Duration : up to 8 days, eventually associated with a medical meeting
- French team :1 or 2 people

4.1.3. Clinical management

- Clinical management sessions will be organized on a specific request of the yemeni
physicians, and be authorized by the yemeni health authorities.
- They will consist in clinical discussion of selected medical cases and/or examination
of selected patients. The cases should be representative of frequent or difficult medical
problems in Yemen, or have a large didactic interest for physicians, fellows, or students.
- They should necessarily be associated to a scientific presentation (medical meeting,
workshop of medical techniques).

4.1.4. Methodological post graduate educational courses

- Principle : formation of yemeni health care professionals by an expert in a specific
topic dealing with methodology and organization : statistics, epidemiology, health care
processes, organization of out-patient clinics, laboratories, in-patient hospitalization, etc..
- Formation of formatives : in this way, "formatives' formation sessions" intended to
teachers, researchers, paramedical or technical officers, could be organized in order to give
them a pedagogical formation.

PROJET AMFY 99 version du : 30/03/99 JFH/JLG

 5

- Periodicity : 1 to 2 by year
- Unique place (turnround between Sanaa, Aden, Taiz)
- Duration : 7 to 15 days
- French team members : 1 expert

4.2. Post- graduate medical educational programs in France

- The AMFY will continue its participation to training courses (Stages Scientifiques de
Haut Niveau) offered to the yemeni physicians who have previously received a grant from the
French Government for their specialization . AMFY will help to the recruitment of applicants,
the selection of university hospital departements providing the training course, the reception
of the applicant and supporting during the course, and if necessary the search for a lodging.

- The AMFY may also organize training courses in France, in a wider framework,
intended to doctors, administrative agents, paramedics, medical / radiology / laboratory
technicians, in relationship with the university members of the Association.

4.3. Diffusion of the medical information

- Distribution of medical journals, subscription for hospital and university libraries
- Reply to yemeni requests of medical bibliography and references
- Creation of a bibliographic database dealing with medicine in Yemen, available for
yemeni health professionels.
- Creation of an Internet adress and/or site, providing :
- the possibility of transmission of the aforementioned informations
- the ability to present and discus diagnostic and/or therapeutic clinical cases,
- the ability to transfer medical images (telemedicine)
- a permanent contact between yemeni and french members of the Association,
- a link which may facilitate the preparation of the different actions of AMFY
(medical meetings, workshops, training courses, etc..).

PROJET AMFY 99 version du : 30/03/99 JFH/JLG

 6

5.Articulation of this project and calendar

In conclusion, this project is a wide framework, which has to be discussed with our
yemeni colleagues, the yemeni and french authorities and sponsors. The presentation of this
project will be done during a mission in Yemen by Dr Viallard (president of AMFY) and Dr
Hiance (vice-president of AMFY) in february, 1999. During this mission, they will have
- to choose the next medical topic. Propositions are pediatrics, congenital cardiopathies,
infectous liver diseases (hepatitis, hepatoma)
- to discuss about the date of the next medical meeting in 1999
- to try to set internet connexions between yemeni institutions and AMFY

PROJET AMFY 99 version du : 30/03/99 JFH/JLG