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Continuing Education Forum for Health Communication Professionals
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Lectures and Papers | Research Reports | Reports from the Field | Training Materials
Report from the Field: by Sanaa Helmi, Egypt
Sanaa
Helmi participated in the June ‘98 Advances workshop in Baltimore.
She is a Research Specialist at the Clinical Services Improvement
(CSI) project in Egypt where she is responsible for developing strategies
and tools to improve the performance of CSI projects. Dr. Helmi is
a licensed psychiatrist who trained at the University of Kansas. She
received her Master's degree Part I from Ain Shams University, Cairo.
You may reach her by e-mail at s_helmi@hotmail.com.The Clinical Services Improvement (CSI) project has pioneered the concept of quality in family planning and reproductive health care in Egypt. Our staff at CSI is committed to making high quality services accessible and affordable to all Egyptian women. All ourstaff, including clerks and doctors, are trained to be attentive and courteous to clients and to welcome them to clean, attractive, well-maintained centers. CSI clients are assured satisfaction through efficient client flow, privacy, and high quality services. Contact with our clients, however, begins with our marketing and out-reach activities long before they visit our centers. Contact continues through our follow-up program well after their initial visit.
Since its establishment in 1988 as a non-governmental institution, CSI has become a model in three areas:
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Improving service delivery through an emphasis on quality of care, attention to client needs, and sound management practices.
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Accurate management systems, including an automated Management Information System which is now the prototype for all Egyptian agencies working in population.
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Achieving financial autonomy through cost-recovery efforts and self-financing efforts.
The emphasis at CSI is on continuously improving skills. With this in mind, in June 1998, I attended the Advances workshop in Baltimore along with CSI colleague Dr. Abeer Shams El-Din. Combining forces with Dr. Mohammed Edrees, CSI Director, who had also attended workshops in Baltimore and the US, we requested follow-up support from our funders (IIE/DT2) to conduct training workshops that would allow us to share what we’d learned with other CSI staff. Through the follow-up support, we began a series of 13 workshops entitled Communication & Social Marketing for Change.
The purpose of the workshops was to share new knowledge and methodologies. An additional objective was to develop a cadre of trained professional managers throughout Egypt. The managers, in turn, would assist in reorganizing and leading CSI to perform an enhanced role in marketing its services to prospective clients and stakeholders.
Over 350 participants came from all parts of Egypt to the workshops in Cairo. The workshops were doubly gratifying because, on one hand, we were able to implement and practice much of what we had learned at the JHU trainings; and, on the other hand, we were able to help CSI personnel. The series turned out to be successful and inspiring to the attendees. Our colleagues were delighted with the new methodology and topics. Many said this was their first exposure to the methodology of this course. They indicated that the training has benefitted them tremendously, has motivated them in their work, and has helped them to develop a new vision for their role and establish a network amongst themselves.
Finally, I would like to point out the impact of such programs on our organization. We now all truly share the same vision. The vision closes the gap between top management and employees in the field and increases overall commitment to quality and client satisfaction. The results contributed to increasing the utilization of our resources and achieving a progress rate of 51% in service volume, i.e., increasing the number of new clients served by 100,000.
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Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA
Phone: (410) 659.6300/Fax: (410) 659.6266/E-mail: webmaster@jhuccp.org
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