Drs Addisu and Fasil traveled to Addis Ababa for two weeks in January and worked with the orthopedic and neurosurgery departments at AaBET hospital. Dr Addisu Mesfin is an orthopedic spine surgeon in Rochester NY, Dr Fasil Mesfin is a neurosurgeon in St. Louis, Missouri.
AaBET hospital is part of St Paul University and located a short distance from the main Gulele campus, just behind Yohannes church. The initials stand for “Addis Ababa Burns, Emergency and Trauma” and the name was coined in part to mimic “Abet !”, i.e. the affirmative “yes !” (personal communication).
Over 2 weeks, the two surgeons completed numerous spinal procedures, including instrumented fusions, sometimes staying late into the evening to complete the surgeries. As a ministry public hospital, AaBET is very poor in resources. It is in a converted building not designed as a hospital, which impedes the natural flow of patients and staff. The emergency area is overflowing, wards are simply rooms with beds against the walls and the general level of cleanliness does not easily recall an American hospital. Nevertheless, by his report, Dr Addisu found the hospital functional. He found the surgeons to be welcoming, surgical instruments to be adequate, and autoclaves big enough to handle spinal trays. Digital radiography is available throughout the hospital which greatly simplifies tracking of patient imaging.
Based on this good experience and a previous trip just over one year ago, he plans to continue returning to Ethiopia on an annual basis to do spine surgery.
posted by Felasfa Wodajo
Ethiopian Diaspora Surgery Network 