In two days, I will board a flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to begin work at the Tikur Anbessa Hospital. As I began to speak about my excitement with the adventure, friends and family have encouraged me to write a blog to share the experience. This is my first venture into the blogosphere.
Tikur Anbessa is the major teaching hospital in Ethiopia. I will be working in the neonatal unit with nursing staff, pediatric residents, and three neonatal fellows.
To give some perspective, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa with a population estimated to be between 86 and 90 million people. Nigeria, the most populous, has approximately 150 million people. The city of Addis Ababa has a population of 5 million.
Ethiopia is located in the North-Eastern part of Africa (at the horn of Africa). It is completely landlocked and shares borders with Kenya to the South, Eritrea to the North, North and South Sudan to the West and Djibouti and Somalia to the East.
Tikur Anbessa means Black Lion in Amharic. The Tikur Anbessa Hospital is the largest general public hospital in Addis Ababa. It is affiliated with the Addis Ababa University School of Medicine. The neonatal unit where I will be working has an average census of 20-40 patients. There are on average 5000-6000 annual admissions.
Resources in the nursery are limited. Infants sometimes need to share an isolette. Blankets can be in short supply. Running water is not always available.
I've included a video from a group of anesthesiologists, nurses, and technicians who traveled to Addis last year from Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Their work was focused on improving the post operative recovery facility and improving anesthesia services.
While in Addis, I hope to spend some time with Rick Hodes. Rick is a graduate of the University of Rochester and I was fortunate to meet him in 2010 during my 40th med school reunion. If you visit his web site you will see some of the amazing work he is doing.
Well I'm off to collect the last supplies I will be carrying in my luggage. I will be getting feeding tubes, nasal cannula, resuscitation bags, and NeoPuff circuits. I've already been given hardware and equipment for oxygen delivery, an oximeter, and miscellaneous supplies by Phillip Platt. Cheryl Herndon kindly donated some of Paul's equipment including an EKG machine, pulse oximeter, glucometer, and other items. I should just squeak by with the 100 pound limit in my two suitcases!
More to come after I arrive in Addis on February 5.
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