By AMY JONES / Associate Editor

NORTH SHELBY — A North Shelby business is helping to train hospital workers in underserved parts of Africa through its multimedia medical programs.

Oakstone Publishing, a company that provides continuing medical and dental education and wellness resources, has partnered in the pilot program with Health eVillages, an organization that brings educational materials to healthcare professionals in need.

Oakstone first got involved with the program through company CEO Diane Munson’s longtime business relationship with Donato Tramuto, founder of Health eVillages.

In the pilot program, Oakstone provides content for workers at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya from its CMEinfo courses, which are available as self-study multimedia courses, Munson said.

“We believe the components of the CMEinfo program make this continuing medical education system a perfect match for the needs of the medical professionals at Kenya’s Kijabe Hospital,” Munson said. “The medical professionals receive superior content that’s adaptable to fit with their schedules, and are able to learn at their own pace.”

The CMEinfo courses include instruction in anesthesiology, primary care, emergency medicine, pediatric emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology and general surgery.

“Oakstone is thrilled to collaborate with Health eVillages on this initiative,” Munson said. “Like Health eVillages, our mission is to improve healthcare through education, and we believe this should be expanded to healthcare providers working in areas with less than ideal resources.”

Kijabe Hospital is a teaching institution that treats more than 10,000 patients from across East Africa each month. The hospital was chosen as the launch site for the pilot program because of its size and its potential for feedback about the program, Munson said.

Mary Mungai, a nurse anesthetist at Kijabe Hospital, said in an Oakstone statement that the courses will help workers provide good medical care.

“As far as education is concerned, it’s really going to play a big part. We are needy. We are not able to raise enough money to buy textbooks,” she said “We are so, so grateful.”