A postgraduate program to build healthcare capacity in Vietnam

The postgraduate program runs over two years at a level equivalent to a fellowship program or junior consultant. There are six units of study, four of them are delivered online, the academic team then go to Vietnam and deliver two practical units in person. The comprehensive and demanding curriculum is structured to cater for the specific diseases and pathologies commonly found in Vietnam and is designed to supplement and enhance the existing ophthalmology training programme. The course progressively builds confidence and skills in academic writing in English culminating in a supervised research project with a view to obtaining a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. So far, five projects have been published in peer-reviewed journals and many of our graduates have moved into leadership positions in Vietnam. 

The programme aims to build healthcare capacity in Vietnam and to improve eye health outcomes for patients. As 2019 graduate, Dr Tung Hoang who went on to be the first Vietnamese doctor selected to undertake a Glaucoma fellowship at the Sydney Eye Hospital, says,

“I was mesmerised by the new knowledge and new approaches which added completely different dimensions to what I was taught during my training in Vietnam. I knew then that this was what I wanted to learn, had to learn, to make a change for glaucoma practise in my country.”

Preventable or treatable eye diseases such as cataract, diabetic retinopathy and trachoma can quickly turn into irreversibly debilitating conditions when timely access to high-quality eye care is not available. In 2023, several countries of the Asia-Pacific region are still affected by such lack of both educational and financial resources, including trained medical personnel, adequate clinical equipment and infrastructures for the delivery of ophthalmic services, as well as monetary support from non-governmental organizations.

In the attempt to address this compelling issue, the Save Sight Institute at the University of Sydney and Sydney Eye Hospital have developed a Graduate Diploma and Master of International Ophthalmology (MOI) aimed at training ophthalmologists and medical graduates from developing countries looking to enhance their knowledge and practice of ophthalmology. This program was established in 2013, with a particular focus on Vietnam.  Through a combination of online coursework units, clinical teaching and extensive practical experience delivered in-person by RANZCO fellows, graduates of this course acquire the necessary skills and experience to contribute to improved care and health outcomes in their countries.

So far, the program has welcomed several Vietnamese students, most notably Dr Tung Hoang, now a glaucoma sub-specialist and the first ever ophthalmologist from Vietnam to have undertaken a Glaucoma Fellowship in Australia. Indeed, the MOI is structured to cater for the specific diseases and pathologies of the targeted countries. The concerted efforts of the clinicians and educators behind the MOI on the one hand, and the talented fellow graduates on the other, have led to significant improvements in the provision of high-quality ophthalmology services and treatments in Vietnam, thus having a substantial impact in the lives of a large number of patients finally able to protect or recover their vision.