Neurosurgery

The aim was to establish a specialist training program in Ethiopia, and build a sustainable neurosurgery service through education of surgeons, and training of nurses in anesthesia, intensive care, and OR-nurses.

Previously a project financed by Fredskorpset (FK Norway) between HUH and BLH made it possible for approximately 30 surgeons and nurses from both institutions to visit each other for 6-12 months. A total of seven Ethiopian neurosurgeons have graduated through this program, and today they work at BLH/AAU. The exchange to HUH were a part of their education, and neurosurgeons from HUH have visited BLH regularly to serve as teachers. In addition, senior surgeons and specialist candidates from the Department of Neurosurgery at HUH have the opportunity to train at BLH, where volume training in for example paediatric neurosurgery is more available than in Norway.

BLH performs an increasing amount of surgical procedures, and with the support from FK Norway the surgeons have established a database where all the operations, survival rates and diagnoses, are registered.

After the project was initiated there has been a great interest among young, Ethiopian doctors for training in neurosurgery. The long term objective was to establish a “Center of Excellence in Neurosurgery” at BLH so that surgeons from neighboring countries can get the opportunity for specialist training in neurosurgery, and in April 2015, the first Malawian surgeon started his specialist training in Neurosurgery at BLH.

In this picture, from the left: Dr. Abdi Deseru, Dr. Tewodros Befekadu Aredo, Dr. Knut Wester, Dr. Morten Lund-Johansen, Dr. Yordanos Ashagre, Dr. Essayas Adefris Tefera and Dr. China Tolessa Sedi.