Think Tank & Training Strategic Seminar for Rehabilitation Centers’ Managers and P&O professionals

The African Organization for the Development of Rehabilitation Centers (OADCPH) is a non-governmental organization recognized as a of public utility, founded in 2011 and now comprising 80 member structures and organizations from 30 African countries. Its headquarters are located in Lome, Togo, West Africa.

Since its creation in 2011, the OADCPH has been actively involved in working toward improving the care of people with disabilities on the African continent. Its main mission is to promote access to rehabilitation care to a larger number of people with disabilities and their families (functional rehabilitation, orthopedic equipment, and the management of any other type of disability), improve the quality of care and promote the sustainability of rehabilitation services.

The objectives of the OADCPH are :

• Ensuring a regular supply of orthopedic components and equipements to private and public non-profit functional rehabilitation and Prosthetics and Orthotic centers, organizations and institutions involved in the field of disability by setting up a central purchasing office of a current capacity of 100 tons per year.
• Supporting and developing the capacities of its member structures for effective and efficient management, by setting up ongoing training courses for rehabilitation center managers and rehabilitation professionals. And a catalog of about 30 modular training courses has been developed for this purpose.
• Offering assistance in the field of technical expertise, support-advice, and monitoring-evaluation

Since 2014, in its effort to strengthen the capacity of rehabilitation actors in Africa, the OADCPH has organized 18 continuing education courses in three (3) countries (Togo, Benin and Senegal) :

• Two training sessions on wheelchairs (WHO guide)
• A Training on transtibial and transfemoral prostheses
• Two courses on the use of low temperature plastics
• Two courses on stock management
• Three courses on the orthotic management of idiopathic scoliosis
• Two training sessions on upper limb prostheses
• A Training on femoral sockets with integrated ischion
• A Training on the evaluation and treatment of stroke
• A Training on caring for the elderly
• A Training on clinical methods in lower limb orthosis
• Two training sessions on project management

These training courses were attended by about 350 people from eighteen (18) African countries (Benin, Togo, Niger, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Congo, Senegal, Chad, Madagascar, Tunisia, Cameroon and Mali).

After these seven (7) years of existence and activities, and for the sake of sustainable development of rehabilitation centers, the OADCPH invites its partners to a delocalised Strategic Think Tank Seminar for Managers, coupled with a practical training for Prosthetics and Orthotics professionals working in the member structures.

Several satisfaction surveys have been carried out by OADCPH among its members and partners in Africa and beyond, and the feedbacks received deserve reflection and concerted actions in a continental synergy to assist the OADCPH to do better and bigger for a greater benefit to disability centers and a better access to rehabilitation care on the african continent.

The target of the seminar is two-fold: managers and professionals. The managers are responsible for the management and development whereas the professionals are in charge of service provision ; and in the philosophy of the OADCPH, these two groups of actors are essential in the development mechanism of the centers.

Managers of rehabilitation centers and programs will come to this seminar for a triple purpose: (1) share good management practices in successful centers and programs, (2) be trained in management and its subdivisions and (3) suggest possible solutions to improve the work of the OADCPH

Prosthetics and Orthotic professionals will (1) receive practical training and also (2) learn good management practices.

Objectifs

Bringing together the managers and professionals of the OADCPH partner rehabilitation centers to strengthen management and technical skills, as well as to think, propose solutions for a better supplying system of orthopedic products in Africa by the OADCPH.

This seminar will be an opportunity for the OADCPH to present its new strategy of loyalty toward its partners which will entitle to differentiated prices from 2020.

Organization (process, methodological approach)

The seminar will be held in a meeting hall and technical laboratory, with plenary sessions and group work as follows:

• Presentations, communications on the OADCPH and its partners on their new orientations, good practices in rehabilitation center management, and on effective management systems
• Group work on different themes related to the management, operation and development of rehabilitation centers
• Presentations and hands-on practicals activities in prosthetics
• All theses, followed by Q & A sessions

Expected results

At the end of this seminar, the following results are expected:

• Acquisition of new management tools / systems by managers of rehabilitation centers
• Capacity building for prosthetics & orthotics professionals
• Suggestions and proposals to assist the OADCPH better fulfill its role and achieve its mission which is to improve the quality of care and promote the sustainability of rehabilitation services

Venue and date

This seminar will take place in Tunis (Tunisia) from November 15 to 17, 2019 at the El Mouradi hotel and the P&O Centre of Tunis. The OADCPH’s action has not yet reached North Africa and the choice of Tunisia is a step of the OADCPH towards the coverage of needs in this part of Africa to help people with disabilities.

Partners

The organization of this seminar are facilitated and supported by CR Equipements SA, CR Machinery SA, ATP Supply and FATO.