Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries

Didier Koumavi Ekouevi; Boris Tchounga; Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie; Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi; Mohamed Cissé; Serge Paul Eholie

doi:doi:10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15

Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries

Didier Koumavi Ekouevi, Boris Tchounga, Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie, Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi, Mohamed Cissé, Serge Paul Eholie

Published in Central African Journal of Public Health (Volume 5, Issue 3)

Received: 18 March 2019 Accepted: 26 April 2019 Published: 20 May 2019

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Abstract

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries severely lack financial and human resources while bearing the heaviest burden of disease. Provision of a sufficient and competent public health workforce is a key component of health system strengthening, but only few data are available on the specialty that health professionals and medical students of francophone SSA countries wish to pursue. The objective of the study was to assess future specialization preference of medical students and the ranking of public health by country in francophone countries. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to July 2017 in medical schools of francophone SSA universities. All students in their last three years of medical training were eligible for the study and were approached via the internet platform of a West African network of medical students named “Réseau des Etudiants en Médecine de l’Afrique de l’Ouest” (REMAO), and the intranet of each university when available. A total of 1,161 medical students in francophone SSA countries were included. Public health was ranked first among medical specialties in francophone SSA countries, and it was chosen by 13.4% of medical students. The main motivations for this choice were the fact that they like the specialty (52.4%), job salary and benefits (39.9%), the fact that this specialty is fulfilling or matches with their personality (31.3%), and the opportunity for conducting research (23.1%). This is the first study on the choice of medical specialties among medical students in francophone SSA countries but also one of the rare studies reporting public health as medical students’ preferred choice. Responding to this growing and urgent demand is critical not only to meet students’ educational needs but also to improve national health systems with special focus on preventive medicine and governance.

Published in	Central African Journal of Public Health (Volume 5, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15
Page(s)	129-135
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Choice, Medical Specialty, Medical Education and Training, Public Health Policy, Africa

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Didier Koumavi Ekouevi, Boris Tchounga, Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie, Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi, Mohamed Cissé, et al. (2019). Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries. Central African Journal of Public Health, 5(3), 129-135. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15

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Didier Koumavi Ekouevi; Boris Tchounga; Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie; Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi; Mohamed Cissé, et al. Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries. Cent. Afr. J. Public Health 2019, 5(3), 129-135. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15

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AMA Style

Didier Koumavi Ekouevi, Boris Tchounga, Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie, Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi, Mohamed Cissé, et al. Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2019;5(3):129-135. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15

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@article{10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15,
  author = {Didier Koumavi Ekouevi and Boris Tchounga and Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie and Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi and Mohamed Cissé and Serge Paul Eholie},
  title = {Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries},
  journal = {Central African Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {5},
  number = {3},
  pages = {129-135},
  doi = {10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cajph.20190503.15},
  abstract = {Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries severely lack financial and human resources while bearing the heaviest burden of disease. Provision of a sufficient and competent public health workforce is a key component of health system strengthening, but only few data are available on the specialty that health professionals and medical students of francophone SSA countries wish to pursue. The objective of the study was to assess future specialization preference of medical students and the ranking of public health by country in francophone countries. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to July 2017 in medical schools of francophone SSA universities. All students in their last three years of medical training were eligible for the study and were approached via the internet platform of a West African network of medical students named “Réseau des Etudiants en Médecine de l’Afrique de l’Ouest” (REMAO), and the intranet of each university when available. A total of 1,161 medical students in francophone SSA countries were included. Public health was ranked first among medical specialties in francophone SSA countries, and it was chosen by 13.4% of medical students. The main motivations for this choice were the fact that they like the specialty (52.4%), job salary and benefits (39.9%), the fact that this specialty is fulfilling or matches with their personality (31.3%), and the opportunity for conducting research (23.1%). This is the first study on the choice of medical specialties among medical students in francophone SSA countries but also one of the rare studies reporting public health as medical students’ preferred choice. Responding to this growing and urgent demand is critical not only to meet students’ educational needs but also to improve national health systems with special focus on preventive medicine and governance.},
 year = {2019}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries
AU  - Didier Koumavi Ekouevi
AU  - Boris Tchounga
AU  - Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie
AU  - Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi
AU  - Mohamed Cissé
AU  - Serge Paul Eholie
Y1  - 2019/05/20
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15
T2  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JF  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JO  - Central African Journal of Public Health
SP  - 129
EP  - 135
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-5781
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15
AB  - Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries severely lack financial and human resources while bearing the heaviest burden of disease. Provision of a sufficient and competent public health workforce is a key component of health system strengthening, but only few data are available on the specialty that health professionals and medical students of francophone SSA countries wish to pursue. The objective of the study was to assess future specialization preference of medical students and the ranking of public health by country in francophone countries. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to July 2017 in medical schools of francophone SSA universities. All students in their last three years of medical training were eligible for the study and were approached via the internet platform of a West African network of medical students named “Réseau des Etudiants en Médecine de l’Afrique de l’Ouest” (REMAO), and the intranet of each university when available. A total of 1,161 medical students in francophone SSA countries were included. Public health was ranked first among medical specialties in francophone SSA countries, and it was chosen by 13.4% of medical students. The main motivations for this choice were the fact that they like the specialty (52.4%), job salary and benefits (39.9%), the fact that this specialty is fulfilling or matches with their personality (31.3%), and the opportunity for conducting research (23.1%). This is the first study on the choice of medical specialties among medical students in francophone SSA countries but also one of the rare studies reporting public health as medical students’ preferred choice. Responding to this growing and urgent demand is critical not only to meet students’ educational needs but also to improve national health systems with special focus on preventive medicine and governance.
VL  - 5
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Didier Koumavi Ekouevi

Public Health Department, University of Lomé, Lomé, Togo
Boris Tchounga

Inserm, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie

PACCI Research Center, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi

Public Health Department, University of Lomé, Lomé, Togo
Mohamed Cissé

Dermatology Department, University Gamal Abdel Nasser, Conakry, Guinea
Serge Paul Eholie

Dermatology and Infectiology Department, University of Félix Houphou?t Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

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APA Style

Didier Koumavi Ekouevi, Boris Tchounga, Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie, Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi, Mohamed Cissé, et al. (2019). Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries. Central African Journal of Public Health, 5(3), 129-135. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15

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ACS Style

Didier Koumavi Ekouevi; Boris Tchounga; Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie; Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi; Mohamed Cissé, et al. Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries. Cent. Afr. J. Public Health 2019, 5(3), 129-135. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15

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AMA Style

Didier Koumavi Ekouevi, Boris Tchounga, Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie, Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi, Mohamed Cissé, et al. Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2019;5(3):129-135. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15

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@article{10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15,
  author = {Didier Koumavi Ekouevi and Boris Tchounga and Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie and Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi and Mohamed Cissé and Serge Paul Eholie},
  title = {Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries},
  journal = {Central African Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {5},
  number = {3},
  pages = {129-135},
  doi = {10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cajph.20190503.15},
  abstract = {Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries severely lack financial and human resources while bearing the heaviest burden of disease. Provision of a sufficient and competent public health workforce is a key component of health system strengthening, but only few data are available on the specialty that health professionals and medical students of francophone SSA countries wish to pursue. The objective of the study was to assess future specialization preference of medical students and the ranking of public health by country in francophone countries. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to July 2017 in medical schools of francophone SSA universities. All students in their last three years of medical training were eligible for the study and were approached via the internet platform of a West African network of medical students named “Réseau des Etudiants en Médecine de l’Afrique de l’Ouest” (REMAO), and the intranet of each university when available. A total of 1,161 medical students in francophone SSA countries were included. Public health was ranked first among medical specialties in francophone SSA countries, and it was chosen by 13.4% of medical students. The main motivations for this choice were the fact that they like the specialty (52.4%), job salary and benefits (39.9%), the fact that this specialty is fulfilling or matches with their personality (31.3%), and the opportunity for conducting research (23.1%). This is the first study on the choice of medical specialties among medical students in francophone SSA countries but also one of the rare studies reporting public health as medical students’ preferred choice. Responding to this growing and urgent demand is critical not only to meet students’ educational needs but also to improve national health systems with special focus on preventive medicine and governance.},
 year = {2019}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Public Health: An Emerging Specialty Among Medical Students in Francophone Sub-Saharan African Countries
AU  - Didier Koumavi Ekouevi
AU  - Boris Tchounga
AU  - Patrick Ahuatchi Coffie
AU  - Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi
AU  - Mohamed Cissé
AU  - Serge Paul Eholie
Y1  - 2019/05/20
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15
T2  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JF  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JO  - Central African Journal of Public Health
SP  - 129
EP  - 135
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-5781
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190503.15
AB  - Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries severely lack financial and human resources while bearing the heaviest burden of disease. Provision of a sufficient and competent public health workforce is a key component of health system strengthening, but only few data are available on the specialty that health professionals and medical students of francophone SSA countries wish to pursue. The objective of the study was to assess future specialization preference of medical students and the ranking of public health by country in francophone countries. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to July 2017 in medical schools of francophone SSA universities. All students in their last three years of medical training were eligible for the study and were approached via the internet platform of a West African network of medical students named “Réseau des Etudiants en Médecine de l’Afrique de l’Ouest” (REMAO), and the intranet of each university when available. A total of 1,161 medical students in francophone SSA countries were included. Public health was ranked first among medical specialties in francophone SSA countries, and it was chosen by 13.4% of medical students. The main motivations for this choice were the fact that they like the specialty (52.4%), job salary and benefits (39.9%), the fact that this specialty is fulfilling or matches with their personality (31.3%), and the opportunity for conducting research (23.1%). This is the first study on the choice of medical specialties among medical students in francophone SSA countries but also one of the rare studies reporting public health as medical students’ preferred choice. Responding to this growing and urgent demand is critical not only to meet students’ educational needs but also to improve national health systems with special focus on preventive medicine and governance.
VL  - 5
IS  - 3
ER  -

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