Programa de Formación Médica Especializada (PFME): cooperación sanitaria para la cobertura universal
The Specialized Medical and Healthcare Training Program
The Specialized Medical and Health Training Program (PFMES) is a cooperation program of the AECID, in collaboration with the CSAI Foundation of the Ministry of Health, which aims to help Spanish Cooperation partner countries advance toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by supporting specialized and continuing education and sharing the knowledge and experience of the Spanish National Health System and our training system for specialized healthcare personnel, based on technical collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and experiences.
The PFMES program benefits from the collaboration of professionals working in the Spanish National Health System and university hospitals, as well as scientific societies and professional health associations, who offer their teaching resources and exchange experiences with their counterparts.
With this in mind, since 2015—and in response to requests from countries such as Ukraine, Egypt, Ethiopia, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Bolivia, and Paraguay—the AECID has been developing programs tailored to the specific characteristics and needs of each country, with the aim of improving the training of healthcare personnel, primarily in the field of specialized medicine, though also in primary and community care, or on specific topics such as organ donation, where Spain is a global leader. More than 1,700 training sessions have been conducted, and over 90 training stays have taken place at various hospitals and healthcare centers in Spain.
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- BOLIVIA The PFME began in Bolivia in 2018 in partnership with the Bolivian Ministry of Health. Its main activities include supporting faculty (competency-based and technical methodology), study visits to Spain, and support for the review and competency-based restructuring of the training curricula for all specialties within the Medical Residency System and the medical school curriculum at public universities. Bolivia offers approximately 1,000 residency positions annually. The Residency Access System receives cross-cutting support. In 2023, for the second consecutive year, it received the Golden Aesculapius Award from the Bolivian Medical Association.
- ETHIOPIA The program was launched in 2017 in collaboration with the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health, providing in-service training to residents and specialists at public teaching hospitals in anesthesiology and intensive care, general and cardiothoracic surgery, radiology, orthopedics, gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and emergency medicine. Since 2021, it has been strengthened by the European Joint Initiative, with funding from the European Union and Italian Cooperation (AICS), complementing the training with infrastructure and equipment upgrades at eight university hospitals, the management and organization of their hospital services, and cross-cutting training (clinical research and gender).
- MALI The program in Mali began in 2021, led by the Faculty of Medicine, where the focus is on technical training for specialists and residents in the specialties of surgery, anesthesia, and emergency medicine, through theoretical and practical training and on-the-job mentoring, which will be complemented by training stays in Spain. Activities are concentrated in two hospitals in Bamako: Gabriel Touré Hospital and Point-G Hospital. The program also addresses the improvement of care conditions in the emergency department by supporting the organization and management of the service.
- MAURITANIA The program was launched in 2020. It has focused its support on the simulation center at the Mauritanian Faculty of Medicine (the program’s main partner) by developing a development plan and providing equipment and supplies. The program supports three specialties: anesthesia, general surgery, and emergency medicine, through technical training for residents and specialists, as well as support for the rotation of fourth-year anesthesia and general surgery students that takes place outside the country.
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MOZAMBIQUE
The program began in 2015 and focuses on two main areas:
- Improving the organization and management of the specialized medical training system in the country by participating in the development of the National Accelerated Strategy for Specialized Medical Training, adapting the curriculum to competencies, and training tutors.
- Comprehensive training for resident physicians and specialists, both on-the-job and through placements in Spanish hospitals, in the priority specialties defined by the Mozambican Ministry of Health, which, together with the Mozambican Medical Association (Ordem dos Médicos de Moçambique), serves as the program’s official counterpart.
- NIGER The program began in 2019 and is based at the National Hospital of Niamey, the institution where the country’s specialists are trained. The program includes methodological training for faculty members, as well as technical training for specialists and residents in the fields of surgery, anesthesia, and emergency medicine, through theoretical instruction, on-the-job mentoring, and training stays in Spain. The project partners are the Ministry of Health of Niger, the National Hospital of Niamey, and the Faculty of Health Sciences.
- PARAGUAY The program began in 2023 and focuses on supporting the creation of five obstetric and neonatal critical care units by strengthening the capabilities of specialists and residents in the fields of obstetrics, anesthesia, and intensive care medicine. The main activities include: developing a course in critical obstetrics, training of trainers, training sessions and practice with simulators, and the installation of a video system in the operating room for learning purposes. The main partner in this program is the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare of Paraguay. In 2024, the program expanded to include support for identifying opportunities for improvement in the implementation of the curriculum, as well as continuing education and cross-cutting competencies in five specialties: family and community medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and general surgery.
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UCRANIA
The program was launched in 2025 as part of bilateral cooperation between Spain and Ukraine, with funding from the AECID and coordination by the CSAI Foundation. It focuses on strengthening specialized medical training and supporting the Lviv Veterans Hospital, particularly in the care of patients with conflict-related injuries. The main activities to date have been:
1. Technical identification of needs through field missions.
2. The organization of 11 training stays in Spain for Ukrainian specialists.
3. Practical training in rehabilitation and neurorehabilitation, traumatology and orthopedics, neurosurgery, minimally invasive surgery, anesthesia, and preventive medicine.
4. A visit to Madrid by the management of the Lviv Veterans Hospital and top health officials from the Lviv region.
In 2026, the program will move into a second phase that includes expanding training areas—including plastic and reconstructive surgery—and potentially extending the program’s geographic scope to the Kyiv region, with the aim of strengthening structural capacities within the Ukrainian healthcare system.
