Dr. Alli Greening reported the following regarding work by the IVUmed currently in Rwanda for a week-long pediatric workshop:
“Where to start… the first day in the theater at the military hospital in Kigali was today. Rather than a hospital for military personell this is more like a hospital run by the military for the people of Rwanda, a place that attracts a number of high complexity cases from around the country. With this being the 4th of 5 trips we’re expecting the local team to be doing, well, most of the doing as we slowly step back.
We managed to meet our goal of getting 4 cases in each of our two rooms despite having an almost continuous string of roadblocks hurled at us. As soon as I would start talking and drawing on a topic the Rwandans turned into rabid learners. At one point I could barely move, with two medical students, two nurse anesthetists, and a physician anesthesiologist all practically on top of me while I was talking about airway obstruction. This is exactly why I love IVUmed so much, we’re not just swooping in, doing cases, and coming home, but are there primarily to teach and our Rwandan teammates are not going to let a morsel of knowledge get by them.”
– Dr. Alli Greening