About OIGT (Opleidingsinstituut Internationale Gezondheidszorg & Tropengeneeskunde)

Training institute for doctors specialising in global health & tropical medicine. Specifically; doctor international health care and tropical medicine. (AIGT)

OIGT works closely with NVTG (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Tropische Geneeskunde & Internationale Gezondheidszorg).

Key activities:

  • Training programme coordination:
    • Full residency/training AIGT-doctors
  • Quality assurance & governance
    • A board with representatives of NVTG and a ‘wetenschapsraad’ (scientific council) to monitor scientific and academic level of training
  • Domestic & international clinical stages/internships/fellowships
    • Placements in Dutch hospitals within disciplines like surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology, abroad ‘low resource setting’ (LMIC’s or conflict zones).
  • Linking global health to Dutch Healthcare
    • AIGT-trained doctors bring back experience and expertise to the Netherlands. Related to globalization, migration, cross-cultural healthcare and tropical diseases.
  • Collaborations & partnerships

Collaborations with GHH-partners

  • NVTG (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Tropische Geneeskunde en Internationale Gezondheidszorg): has a seat on the board of the foundation that runs OIGT (SOIGT), share a ‘Universal Code of Conduct’ together with KCGH.
  • KCGH: founded by both NVTG and OIGT, co-produce newsletters and events.
  • KIT (Royal Tropical Institute): Curriculum partner: course Public Health & health Equity

Overview of characteristics

Active in countries:

‘Asia and Africa’: according to the website, OIGT creates training opportunities in hospitals abroad, in LMIC’s and conflict areas. ‘Global Health Residencies’[LH1] 

CoP (Community of Practice):

CoP1- Strengthening Health Systems

Themes and subthemes within CoP:

OIGTS core themes:

  • Clinical medicine: emphasis on diagnostics, emergency management
  • Public health & prevention: integrating curative and preventive medicine
  • Health Care Systems: understanding structure, functioning and challenges of local, national and global health systems.
  • Management: focus on leadership, quality control, HR, logistics, financial management in healthcare settings
  • Intercultural aspects of care: equitable & culturally sensitive healthcare; emphasis on cross-cultural communication, understanding local health beliefs
  • Research & evidence-based practice: practical research, data collection, interpretation of evidence in resource-limited contexts.
  • Advocacy & global citizenship: encourages engagement with organizations & policymakers to improve healthcare access and equity.

Fitted into CoP1: (WHO derived themes):

  • Service delivery / clinical medicine: AIGT doctors are trained to treat individual patients, engage in public health and prevention work.
  • Health workforce / management and advocacy: developing leadership & HRM skills
  • Health information systems: Research & evidence-based practice; training in data collection and analysis, monitoring
  • Access to medication & technology: health care systems insights; understanding supply chain and resource allocation in limited-resource settings
  • Health Financing: training includes budgeting, cost-analysis and understanding health-system financing mechanisms.
  • Leadership & governance: ethical leadership, stakeholder engagement

Organization type:

Knowledge institute

Available resources:

  • Knowledge & expertise: training doctors in global health & tropical medicine.
  • Networks: connections with Dutch Hospitals, training hospitals abroad, global health training programmes, partner organisations (NVTG)
  • Influence/agenda-setting: setting standards for AIGT (Arts Internationale Gezondheidszorg en Tropengeneeskunde) training, shaping global health education in the Netherlands
  • HR leverage: enabling doctors to work in low-resource settings via Global Health Residency
  • Coordination & platform capability: organizing full training programme, managing curriculum, assessments, quality assurance, partnerships abroad