Project Description
 
This Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Renal Failure was initiated in 2016. According to statistics from the Belize government, the prevalence rates of both diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which are potential health factors in renal failure disease, are above 30 percent. The purpose of this project is to build capacity among health workers, promote health knowledge, establish a tracking and management system for chronic disease cases, and provide epidemiological reports.

Overall, this project will:

1. Strengthen capabilities in the field of public health and prevention of chronic diseases through educational promotion.
2. Build up capacities in the field of professional care for chronic diseases.
3. Establish and launch a tracking and management system for chronic disease cases, including alarm and follow-up functions, in at least one health institution at each level of the health system.
4. Provide statistical analysis reports in the field of epidemiology.

Project Period: 2016.02-2019.08

Project Objectives
 
The objectives of this project are:

1. Strengthening of capabilities in the field of public health and prevention of chronic diseases through educational promotion:

• Provision of educational lectures to at least 16,000 community members within three years.
• Presentation at the Annual Medical and Dental Congress in the first two years and to COMISCA (Council of Ministers of Health of Central America) in the last year.

2. Building up of capacities in the field of professional care for chronic diseases:

• Provision of a training program in general kidney disease diagnosis, therapy and dialysis for seven Belizean medical personnel, including general practitioners (GP) and dialysis nurses, in Taiwan.
• Provision of a local training program for at least 44 GPs, four case managers, two health information system technicians, and 250 community health workers.
• Dispatch of Taiwanese consultants specializing in the establishment of chronic renal failure prevention and control systems to Belize on a minimum of 17 occasions.

3. Establishment and launch of a tracking and management system for chronic disease cases, including alarm and follow-up functions, in at least one health institution at each level of the health system.
4. Provision of statistical analysis reports in the field of epidemiology.

Current Progress (until the end of December 2018)
 
To the end of December 2018, the following activities have been carried out:

1. Strengthen capabilities in the field of public health and prevention of chronic diseases through educational promotion:

• Completed chronic kidney disease (CKD) related health education for 11,926 Belizeans.
• Completed 7 times of project progression presentation in various congress and seminar.

2. Capacity building in the field of professional care for chronic diseases:

• Completed 10 seed instructors' training, including 4 doctors, 5 nurses and 1 IT technician.
• Carried out 17 physicians of advanced kidney disease care workshop, 101 physicians of basic kidney care workshop, 20 dialysis nurses and 305 health promoters' training.
• Far Eastern Memorial Hospital dispatched 20 consultants and completed seed instructor supervision, epidemiology survey mission, nutrition mission as well as IT mission.

3. Strengthening Belize Health Information System (BHIS) for chronic disease case management:

• Far Eastern Memorial Hospital completed the development of chronic kidney disease information system.
• Completed the procurement of the server.

4. Provision of statistical analysis reports in the field of epidemiology:

• Completed the Chinese and English version of mid-term report.
• The Government of Belize has released the preliminary findings from statistical analysis report on September 3. The findings indicate that 13.9 percent of Belizeans between ages 20-55 years have stage 3 to stage 5 of CKD.