UofA Team in Kenya- October 2022
Dr. Andre Isaac and team working with MTRH surgeons in an LTR training session
A team within the UofA Division of Otolaryngology and affiliated physicians and healthcare staff made a trip to Eldoret, Kenya as part of their training partnership with the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in October. The OGS affiliated team who traveled was composed of Dr.’s Andre Isaac, Timothy Cooper, Lakshmi Puttangunta, as well as Natalie Dies, Amy Callaghan, and Dr. George Kurian (UofA alumni).
The UofA Division of Otolaryngology has a long-term partnership with Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) through the AMPATH Consortium. The partnership is focussed on training, infrastructure support, mentoring, research and collaboration to improve outcomes for patients in western Kenya.
Prior to the pandemic, the team had collaborated with Kenyan counterparts in the MTRH to create a needs assessment. MTRH is one of only two public national referral centres in Kenya and serves as the only tertiary referral centre for a population more than 30 million people. The current Otolaryngology team is underequipped in personnel, training, resources, infrastructure, and time to adequately service the head and neck surgical needs of this population, resulting in many patients left untreated or undertreated. The needs assessment included specific actionable items for improving access to head and neck medical and surgical care for Western Kenya. In 2020, the team received funding from Royal College Canada International (RCI) to carry out these objectives to provide surgical training, lay groundwork for an otolaryngology residency program, help streamline effective referral pathways, and find solutions for low-cost diagnostics and surgical equipment. These objectives will be carried out in Eldoret and virtually.
The voiced needs of the local Otolaryngology surgical team this year were related to airway reconstructive surgery and advance ear surgery. The October trip was the first of their yearly trips to Eldoret for carrying out these objectives. While there, the team provided assistance and training for complex cases in the clinic and ORs. These case help both to address the unmet surgical patient volume as well as to equip the local team with the skills to perform more advanced procedures on their own. As well, the team facilitated a hybrid laryngotracheal reconstruction course for consultant ENT surgeons and residents. This composed of a combination of simulation training, didactic teaching, live cases, and long-term mentorship through virtual and augmented reality surgical care.
Dr. Andre Isaac, lead of this global surgery partnership says that “This initiative and supporting strategy will have a great impact on surgical training and Kenyan patient health outcomes. We thank our funding partner, RCI, and supporting companies and NGOs for equipment and remote communication- Stryker, Ohana One, TeleVu and Vuzix.”
While back at home, the UofA team maintains communication and training objectives with MTRH team through virtual platforms for monthly tumour board meetings and will soon provide mentorship during surgery through use of augmented reality and smart glasses technology.