BUSINESSWOMAN Ann Gloag has given £1 million of funding to a university project which aims to improve healthcare in Malawi.
The philanthropist, who set up Stagecoach with her brother, is backing the St Andrews University's Global Healthcare Implementation Programme, a partnership with Malawi's College of Medicine.
The money will be used to support new research projects into ways of translating theory into delivery and fund a PhD programme leading studies into issues such as alcohol misuse, African sleeping sickness and acute sepsis.
Ms Gloag said: "I firmly believe the developing world needs people delivering practical solutions on the ground and this programme aims to do that.
"Enabling the poorest countries in Africa to raise themselves out of poverty must be a priority for the future and helping with healthcare infrastructure is a critical step in this process.
"Having worked in Malawi since the 1980s, I am fully aware of the challenges of turning theories into practical solutions on the ground but it can be done and that is why I am confident this programme will have a positive impact in Malawi and beyond."
Professor William Stones, the Ann Gloag Chair in Global Health Implementation who is based in Malawi, said: "Ann Gloag's philanthropy is bringing about a rewarding, collaborative approach that allows the links to be made between healthcare professional education, research and the challenges of actual health service delivery in low resource settings.
"Often these elements have been approached in isolation so may not have achieved the anticipated health gains.
"Our programme will nurture health care professionals focused on increasing access and quality of health care, enabling them to be more effective in health service delivery through the use of research evidence and taking an active role in shaping service organisation and functionality."
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