Triangular Cooperation | Dr. James C Johnston
Global NeuroCare is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing neurological care in developing regions, especially sub-Saharan Africa and particularly Ethiopia. It is one of the few non-government organizations to hold Special Consultative Status with the United Nations ECOSOC, which allows Director and Neurologist Dr. James C. Johnston to actively participate with the UN intergovernmental bodies, decision makers and related organizations. Additionally, Global NeuroCare is accredited by the World Health Organization, and affiliated with the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa.
On behalf of Global NeuroCare, Dr. Johnston presented several statements over the past few years to the UN High Level Political Forum, the Commission for Social Development and the Integration Segment. Four of these statements have been adopted and published, focusing on advancing collaborative partnerships between the North and South in an effort to improve healthcare in Africa.
Dr. Johnston emphasized the importance of ensuring that relationships between the North or developed countries and the South are based on sustainable, collaborative, ethically congruent partnerships that truly benefit the South, as opposed to the short term medical missions that are so harmful to developing regions. Successful partnerships will allow sub-Saharan African nations to develop functional capacity building, thereby becoming self-sustainable, further advancing patient care, physician training and medical research.
These types of North-South partnerships can be even more effective by encouraging South-South and triangular cooperation. South-South cooperation is the process whereby two or more developing countries pursue individual or shared objectives through exchanges of knowledge, skills and resources. This is not a substitute for, but rather a complement to North-South partnerships. In triangular cooperation, partnerships between two or more developing nations are supported by a developed country or even multinational organizations.
For example, Global NeuroCare focuses on advancing neurology in Ethiopia where Dr. Johnston serves as an Honorary Professor of Neurology in the Addis Ababa University Department of Neurology Residency Training Program. This program has graduated 32 board certified neurologists over the past decade. However, there are no local opportunities for advanced neurophysiology training, so Dr. Johnston arranges for the resident physicians to attend the University of Siena, Italy for 6 month fellowships. This requires separate funding which has been provided through scholarships sponsored by a Canadian based neurophysiology society. Thus Global NeuroCare coordinates Ethiopian training through Italy with financial support from Canada and, in turn, as an example of South-South cooperation, the Ethiopian physicians return to train their colleagues as well as physicians from other African nations.
Global NeuroCare plays a crucial role in coordinating this type of triangular coordination, which is the most effective means of ensuring sustainable capacity building leading to self-sufficiency that will truly advance healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.
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