Somaliland Sojourn for Perth Doctors

UWA Medical School and Australian Doctors for Africa (a fledgling WA charity) have agreed to assist the newHargeisa Medical School, in the capital of the Republic ofSomaliland. Assistance is in the form of donated equipment and regular visits from WA doctors to train new doctors so the (unofficial) nation can rebuild after years of civil war.

As recent as last March, Prof Trevor Parry, Dr Leon Cohen, Dr Anna Parker, and Dr Rod Thelander enjoyed the local hospitality to provide in-theatre and bedside teaching for medical students and interns – the first trip as a joint initiative of the two WA groups. UWA Medical School Dean Prof Ian Puddey and Emer/Prof David Allbrook had previously visited Hargeisa Medical School Dean Dr Deria Ereg, during which time it was decided to regularly send small teams of doctors from Perth to help train medical students and newly graduated doctors.

Anyone who is interested to help will be pleased to know that theRepublic of Somalia is the relatively safe and peaceful breakaway part of Somalia, which enjoys a stable government with law and order. Formed in 1991, the Republic has an area equivalent toEngland and Wales, supports 3.5 million people (predominantly sunni muslim), offers its men a life expectancy of around 50 years, and has about 45% of people living in Hargeisa or rural towns. Prior to 1960, the region was known as The British Protectorate of Somaliland, was only established in 2003 and the tiny nation is struggling to provide medical services for its people but it is happening – 75 medical students graduated last year (see http://khadar.powweb.com/admin/).

The most recent intrepid WA medical team spent just nine days lecturing and demonstrating to the 6^th year medical students and interns in a wide variety of medical and surgical topics. The emphasis was on teaching practical clinical skills, something that is badly needed due to the limited number of well-trained clinicians and teachers. A lot of time was spent in the hospital wards with bedside teaching. Dr Leon Cohen assisted local surgeon Dr Sulieman Guleid.

The team stayed with the charismatic Mrs Edna Adan Ismail in the very impressive Maternity Hospital that she had built in 2002. Warm hospitality and time to meet other medical aid workers from the UK,USA and Norway all added to the goodwill, something that was acknowledged in speeches by students on the last day.

October 2010 is the next booked trip. Top of Dr Ereg’s wish list is teachers in ENT surgery, general surgery, neurology, psychiatry, internal medicine and urology.

UWA’s African Connection

A group of senior WA medicos have turned their time and attention to helping the underprivileged medical students of war-ravaged Somaliland, an independent region within Somalia occupying the territory once known as British Somaliland. The consortium of doctors, led by Drs Rod Thelander and Gary Hastwell, and UWA Medical School Dean Prof Ian Puddey, is looking to cement a close relationship between UWA and Somaliland’s University of Hargeisa Medical School.

Hargeisa’s medical school was established by Dr Deria Ereg in 2003, with a 6-year curriculum based on the British medical school model and the first students graduating in 2009. In March this year, Ian, Gary, and Rod journeyed to Somaliland to lay the groundwork for what is hoped to become ongoing support for Hargeisa’s medical school. They were greeted with great enthusiasm by a contingent including the Health Minister and the President of the University.

There can be no doubt that WA doctors are committed to the cause. Drs Gary Hastwell and Diana Wellby have donated all of their obstetric and gynaecology equipment. UWA and its medical students have also donated a container-load of textbooks. Members of the group and other doctors, including Mr Graham Forward, director of Australian Doctors for Africa, plan to return to Hargeisa in February next year to once again lend their time, money, and equipment to the burgeoning medical school.

It hoped that a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the two medical schools, which will pave the way for regular, organised teaching missions. The team is especially keen on recruiting like-minded medicos to the cause, where they will do ward rounds and lecture students (lessons are taught in English). Doctors of all disciplines are sought. If you’re interested, contact Rod (below).

Dr Gary Hastwell demonstrates the use of ultrasound to doctors and midwives at the maternity hospital in Hargeisa.

Somaliland Medical Students’ Stethoscope Appeal

Dr Rod Thelander would like to collect as many stethoscopes and other equipment as possible to take with him when he returns to Somaliland in February.

“Because Somaliland is a very poor country, most of the medical students cannot afford their own stethoscope or sphygmomanometer. For this reason, we’re asking doctors to consider buying themselves a new stethoscope and donating their old stethoscopes to the appeal. Other items gratefully accepted include aneroid sphygmomanometers, tendon hammers, and ophthalmoscope-auriscope sets,” Rod said.

Equipment donations can be left at all St John of God Pathology collection centres throughout the Perth, and should be addressed to Mr Mike Watts, Coordinator of the Somaliland Medical Students’ Stethoscope Appeal. Donations can also be sent directly to Dr Rod Thelander, 12 Mead St, Kalamunda WA 6076.

Dr Allbrook signs historic Somaliland agreement.

Somalilandpress has distilled some main stories making headlines across Somaliland this week (12 April, 2011).

Friday, 10 April: University of Hargeisa goes down under

University of Hargeisa (HoU) on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Western Australia (UWA), for joint cooperation in the fields of medicine and health science. The agreement was signed by Professor Mubarik Ibrahim Aar and Emeritus Professor David Allbrook. The cooperation which is between the two Faculties of Medicine, covers teaching staff exchange, joint research, academic and health consultation, student supervision and training and lecture programs.

Following the signing, Mr Aar said this was exactly what his university needed while Mr Allbrook said he was proud of the agreement. Professor Allbrook has been working hard to establish this kind of project for several years now and has visited the country three times since 2009. Allbrook is no stranger to Africa, shortly after completing his medical and surgery degrees at University College London in the UK the country of his birth he was appointed as a senior lecturer in anatomy at the Makerere University College in Uganda. For over a decade he taught various medical subjects and held numerous positions across some of the leading institutions in Africa including the Ugandan Medical Association. Today, Allbrook is a member of more than eleven Australian and international organizations and his work is recognized internationally. He is part of a dedicated and pioneering team of Australian doctors and professors which include Dr Gary Hastwell, Dr Rod Thelander, Profesor Ian Puddey and Dr Graham Forward. They are here for a fortnight as part of their annual visit to Somaliland to help improve local health services and skills

The rest of the article is here.