Ethiopia
Situation Report
With the second highest population in sub-Saharan Africa, the AIDS pandemic has affected Ethiopia heavily. Nearly one third of AIDS-related deaths are among the most productive members of society, forming a great economic burden to the country. AIDS deaths have also resulted in millions of orphans and widows, many of whom are also HIV-positive.
In much of Africa, there is only one fully trained general surgeon to every million people. Most surgeons are concentrated in the major cities caring for the wealthy and upper-middle classes. Training African surgeons in Africa is the surest way to prepare them for the unique challenges they will face. It improves the likelihood that the surgeons will serve out their years in Africa and provide desperately needed surgeons for this continent that is annually losing more surgeons to the West than it is training.
Our volunteers provide hands-on training as well as lectures to surgical residents who can then serve at Christian hospitals throughout Africa in a way that honors God and provides quality surgical services to the poor.
Our Work
Medical Teams International first worked in Ethiopia during the 1984-85 famine. Since 1985, 18 volunteer teams have provided relief and medical training assistance. We are currently supporting the HIV and AIDS programs of one Ethiopian church. We also send surgical and other training teams to Soddo Hospital.
Future Plans
We will send 2-4 volunteer surgical teams to train resident surgeons and other staff at Soddo Hospital. Volunteers needed at Soddo include surgeons of all specialties including general surgery, orthopedics, OB/Gyn, anesthesiology, plastics, pediatric surgery, ENT and pathology.
Our Partners
- Addis Ababa Mulu Wongel Believers Church provides holistic community health services for 80,000 church and community members. The church is providing a a comprehensive response to HIV and AIDS that includes prevention education for youth, orphan support and home-based care for people living with HIV and AIDS.
- Soddo Christian Hospital, sponsored by the St. Lukes Healthcare Foundation and a designated Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) training hospital, is located in southern Ethiopia and serves an area of more than 3 million people. The mission of the PAACS program is to train African surgeons who can then serve at Christian hospitals throughout Africa in a way that honors God and provides quality surgical services to the poor. PAACS’ goal, in association with other participating hospitals, is to train at least 100 Christian African surgeons by 2010. Staff surgeons at the hospital include plastic, general and orthopedic surgeons.
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