GASTROENTEROLOGY FOUNDATION e.V.
Better medicine for the world's poorest.
Dr. med Martin Strauch
8.6.1940 – 29.8.2024
We mourn the loss of Dr. Martin Strauch.Martin Strauch was born in Berlin and grew up in Minden in North Rhine-Westphalia. After studying at the Universities of Freiburg, Cologne and Vienna from 1959 to 1964 and obtaining his doctorate in 1964 at the University of Düsseldorf, he initially worked as an assistant physician at the Langenau State Hospital and the Bergisch Glattbach Hospital, as well as a research assistant in the pathology department of the University of Freiburg. From 1968 to 1970 he worked as a research assistant at the University of Aachen, where he witnessed the establishment of the newly established Department of Gastroenterology and then moved to the German Clinic for Diagnostics (DKD) as a team member from 1970 to 1972. From here, he went to Munich as a gastroenterological senior physician to Prof. Ottenjahn at the Neuperlach Clinic. In 1974, he and his companion Dr. Manfred Henke ventured into the settlement. He was the first to set up a gastroenterological and endoscopic practice in southern Germany and, as a pioneer, moved from the protected environment of the gastroenterological clinic to the branch's outpatient medicine. He ran the practice with great success, acceptance, expertise and appreciation until 2002 and then worked at the MVZ Neubiberg until 2012.
In addition to his work as a pioneer in the field of gastroenterologists in private practice, he was involved in scientific medicine and was an active pioneer and co-creator both in studies and in training. In recognition of this work, he became the first gastroenterologist in private practice to become chairman of the Endoscopy Section of the German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases and was able to organize the DGVS Annual Congress in Munich in 1992 together with Prof. Paumgartner. In addition, he was a member of the board of the Professional Association of Gastroenterology in Germany from its foundation in 2002 to 2007, as well as a member of the DGVS Commission for Professional Issues from 2001 to 2012. For his active commitment and many years of voluntary work, he was finally appointed an honorary member of the Endoscopy Section of the German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases in 2000. Martin Strauch was a board member and treasurer of the Society for Gastroenterology in Bavaria e.V. for many years and was also made an honorary member of the society for his extraordinary commitment. As part of the improvement of endoscopic training, he was a founding member of the Working Group for Endoscopy Training Courses (Förderverein Gastroenterologie München e.V.) in 2002 and acted as 1st chairman.
In addition, Dr. Martin Strauch was a long-standing board member and very active participant in the Gastro League, and he was also actively involved in the further training activities of the Federation of German Internists (BDI). In addition to these considerable activities in the professional organizations, Martin Strauch was also active on a voluntary basis and founded the Gastroenterology Foundation e.V. together with Prof. Classen in 1996. Here, too, he was a board member and treasurer for over 20 years. The enumeration of his many offices alone shows the passion with which Dr. Martin Strauch was connected to gastroenterology. He always had his finger on the pulse, was present at scientific congresses and was valued as a discussant and speaker. He was perceived as extraordinarily approachable, so he liked to accompany many young colleagues, showed them a sincere interest and supported their endoscopic careers. Everyone appreciated his calm and modest demeanor, his extraordinary negotiating skills and his diplomatic skills. Everyone knew him and he knew and respected everyone. He was always collegial and friendly, but was also able to discuss and argue critically on the matter and was always ready to stand up for his point of view. He had a deeply lived sense of justice and a fine sense of humour. With Dr. Martin Strauch, gastroenterology in Germany loses an endoscopic veteran who contributed a lot to the development and training in our field. We will cherish his memory.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Allescher and Saskia Hannig
Gastroenterology Foundation e.V.
On 7.5.2024, the Department of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy at the Bishkek University Hospital in Kirgistan was inaugurated in the presence of the German Ambassador (Ms. Guellil) and the Swiss Ambassador (Mr. Mueller). Numerous guests (approx. 150) from the KSMA and the Ministry of Health were present. Following the opening speeches by Rector Indira Kudaibergenova, Ambassador Ms. Guellil, Ambassador Andres Mueller (CH), and Prof. Matthias Breidert (for the GF), Matthias Breidert gave an opening lecture on the future and development of endoscopy at the KSMA. Afterwards, the department was walked with all guests. On May 8, 2024, live examinations took place on 6 patients, followed by a workshop with 16 gastroenterology-endoscopic doctors from all over the country.
In the afternoon, a hands-on workshop on pig stomachs took place (bleeding stops, polypectomy). The workshop was a complete success, intensive exchange was possible, most colleagues spoke good English or there was a parallel collegiate translation.
All delivered equipment (2 Olympus towers, Erbotom) could be installed. Another almost mint Erbotom was donated by Ernst Förster. However, this required extensive improvements by medical technician Julian Ruf. All plugs (previously Swiss electrical plugs) had to be converted to the plugs used in Kyrgyzstan (German system). In addition, cables had been crushed by the transport on site and had to be replaced. Matthias Breidert has donated two mobile monitor towers and a monitor for an Olympus tower. An air compressor (Russian design) for drying the devices could be found, as good as new, and was installed by JR.
All employees of the new Center for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy are highly motivated. There are enough employees, including in the care sector. The size of the rooms is suitable. Colleagues Bakyt I and II do a professional job and were always ready to talk and try to find solutions.
In the anniversary year 2024: 15 years (2009-2024) GFNG (Gastro-Foundation Nepal Group) at the 'ETC' Endoscopy Training Centre in Dhulikhel Hospital.
7th spring workshop at Dhos on 5-6 April 2024: Basic knowledge in ultrasound diagnostics and endoscopy.
The special commitment of the endoscopy team, their qualifications and loyalty to the Dhos, coupled with the continuous support from the GFNG, have resulted in the fantastic development of the ETC into the leading reference centre for endoscopy in Nepal. A total of around 500 doctors and nurses have been trained at 17 training courses to date - with the (voluntary) help of colleagues from Germany.
The 7th Spring Basic Course 2024 for US and Endo was again fully booked with 30 participants. Dr Dirk Hagena travelled from Germany to provide organisational and technical support on behalf of the GFNG.
The first day of the course focussed on imparting knowledge and initial experience in abdominal ultrasonography. Lectures provided basic technical knowledge and demonstrated the wide range of diagnostic possibilities in the field of abdominal organs. Between the lectures, the course participants, who had come from all over Nepal, had the opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge to patients in groups at several workstations under the guidance of tutors. This learning principle has become a tradition at the ETC in Dhos. The review of the learning success at the end of the long day was very satisfying for all participants.
The topic of the second day of the course was basic knowledge of endoscopy of the upper and lower digestive tract. Here, too, the course began with equipment knowledge and the extremely important hygiene and equipment care in endoscopy. This was followed by lectures on the indications for endoscopy and the various examination techniques, including sedation measures and the most common pathological findings in the stomach and intestines. The theory was followed by 'hands on'. For the majority of course participants, this was their first contact with an endoscope. It was therefore very helpful to gain initial experience on models with the help of the tutors, which was taken up with great enthusiasm by all participants. Live demonstrations of gastroscopies and colonoscopies by experienced examiners and a demonstration of the accessories and instruments commonly used in endoscopy for diagnostic/therapeutic sampling etc. by the ETC endoscopy nurses rounded off the varied event.
At the end, after the certificates of participation had been presented, the obligatory group photo was taken, showing happy faces throughout. Many thanks to Dr Gurung for his masterful workshop management, but also to all participants and the numerous speakers. Most of the radiologists took part in the ultrasound day; the second day belonged to the ETC gastroenterologists and former employees (Dr Bibek) as well as various guest speakers from cooperating clinics in Kathmandu.
We cordially invite you to the next ETC workshop in Dhos, the 11th HoWEU in November 2024.
Dirk Hagena
Two complete endoscopy towers and an Erbotom have arrived in Bishkek! We would like to thank Olympus and Erbe Switzerland for their great support.
Finally, the large order of important endoscopic accessories has arrived safely at the ETC! We would like to thank the MediGlobe team for their great patience during the ordering process. Furthermore, many thanks to the Namaste Stiftung for their very generous financial support.
For the conversion and redesign of the two ERCP rooms in the endoscopy department of the Dhulikhel Hospital (ETC) in Nepal, two X-ray protection walls worth 4000 euros each were needed. Protecting staff from radiation damage is very important, especially given the extremely high number of examinations carried out in this high-volume center.
Dr. Roland Ott had the opportunity to present the Nepal project and the planned purchase to a very interested audience at the Rotary Club Munich-Blutenburg on 26 October 2023 (https://muenchen-blutenburg.rotary.de)
Fortunately, the commission classified us as worthy of support and transferred 4000 euros to the Gastrofoundation account at the end of December.
The second protective wall was financed by the Namaste Foundation (https://www.namaste-stiftung.de).
We would like to thank the Rotary Club and the Namaste Foundation for their generous support. Here are a few more pictures of the ETC team when the new protective walls arrived.
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Finally, the three protection goggles have arrived at the ETC.? Here you can see Prof. Gurung wearing one of the special glasses.
Matthias Breidert carried out a final equipment check at Olympus Switzerland today. Thanks to the very generous donation from Olympus, three complete towers of endoscopes can be sent to Kyrgyzstan.
A big thank you to the team at Olympus Switzerland!
From left: Mr. Breidert, Mr. Adams, Mrs. Kägi-Fuhrimann and Mr. Sigrist from Olympus Switzerland
Our member Wolfgang Blank has been active in ultrasound training in Nepal together with his wife for many years.?Read the following article.
News from the construction work in Peramiho: the first walls are going up.
Report from the 10th HoWEU at Dhulikhel Hospital in Nepal (5.-7.10.2023) From 5 to 7 October, the 10th Workshop for Ultrasound, Endoscopy and Gastroenterology took place at Dhulikhel Hospital (10th HoWEU at the ETC = Endoscopic Training Center). Traditionally, we have been supporting this event for ten years as a Nepal group within the Gastrofoundation.?Rudolf Riepl, Volker Stagge, Michael Guggenberger, Konstanze Tzavella and Roland Ott travelled to Nepal for this workshop – as always at their own expense.?Parallel to the mentioned workshop, the third Workshop of Endoscopy Assistant of Nepal took place. Samira, the head of the endoscopy assistants in the ETC, has successfully founded this professional association of assistants against some resistance in her own country and with the support of our Nepal group and has been president ever since. This was a very important step towards spreading the high standard of training of the endoscopy nurses in the ETC throughout Nepal and raising the level of assistance and hygiene across the board. Our colleague V. Stagge took part in this event as a speaker.
On Thursday, the full-day training for ultrasound began. 33 medical colleagues from all over Nepal participaed. The principles of the technique and the possible pathological findings in the individual organs were demonstrated in lectures by Nepalese doctors and Mr. Riepl, Mr. Stagge, Mr. Guggenberger and Mr. Ott. ?In three sessions, there was the opportunity to perform sonography on patients themselves under supervision. Mr. Riepl had prepared gel models and a meat model on which an olive could be punctured from the outside. As every year, this was a real highlight for the participants.
On Friday, the focus was on endoscopy. At the beginning, accessories, the functionality of the endoscopes and the hygiene of the endoscopes were demonstrated.?In the other two sessions, dilation of stenosis, varicose vein banding, polypectomy and bleeding therapy (clip, injection and beamer) were demonstrated and the participants were offered the opportunity to practice these techniques themselves under supervision. As every year, the enthusiasm and interest in learning the techniques was very high among the participants.?It should also be noted that either plastic models (e.g. polypophant) or pig stomachs, which came as a waste product from the local butcher and were artfully prepared by the sisters for the respective interventions, were used for the exercises.
On the last day, Saturday, 80 listeners from all over Nepal came for the live demonstrations and the subsequent lectures, as well as medical staff from the hospital.?It started with two live endoscopies, with V. Stagge and R. Riepl carrying out the examinations in a team with a Nepalese colleague.?Subsequently, there were eleven presentations from Nepal and five from German colleagues during the day. The selection of topics was always relevant to practice, and the presentation of the Nepalese colleagues was consistently at a very high level.?The following German speakers presented their contributions as a live link via Zoom: Prof. Thomas Rösch (Hamburg, UKE, "Innovation in GI Endscopy") Prof. Roland Schmid (TU Munich, Klinikum r.d. Isar, "Advances in Pancreatic Cancer") PD Dr. Kaspar Trudinger (Gastroenterologist from Switzerland, "Clinical challenges in Colonic Polyps") Prof. H.-D. Allescher President of the Gastrofoundation, Klinikum Garmisch Partenkirchen, "Management of Bile Duct Stones. Timing, selection and technique") The four topics were presented in a highly professional manner. Fortunately, there were no technical problems thanks to electricity protection via an extra solar-powered grid.
According to the participants, the workshop with the final congress is unique in Nepal. Only e.g. India offers comparable events in the region.?This encourages us all to continue to actively and unselfishly support this project, which was started many years ago by our members Dirk Hagena, Sepp Philipp and Matthias Breidert. In the run-up to the workshop, Rudolf Riepl visited the hospital in Dolakha and spoke with the director Mr. Tamarkar Dipesh about the need for endoscopic lines. In an operating room there is currently a 160 mm Olympus tower. Endoscope devices are not yet available. The greatest need is to be able to perform gastroscopies in a timely manner. The most common indication would be the detection of gastric malignancies and the clarification of bleeding (esophageal varices). A doctor and an endoscopy nurse are already being trained for gastroscopy at Dhulikhel Hospital. The procurement of a gastroscope is still to be clarified.
Our members Dr. Markus Dollhopf, Prof. Matthias Breidert and Prof. Bruno Neu supervised a workshop in Pristina. In addition to presentations, they also gave a hands-on workshop, which was enthusiastically received.
The project is making huge progress and we are delighted to have gained two new active members. Thank you very much!
Patrick Mosler visited our project in Ndanda and performed endoscopic procedures under great local challenges.
Dr. Volker Stagge, member of the Nepal Group, talks about his volunteer work in Nepal in this podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/marketing-860487273/inside-ilmtalklinik-vol-3-nepalhilfe
Our members Prof. Dr. Matthias Breidert and Dr. Arnd Schulte-Bockholt spent several weeks in Bishkek. They brought various surgical devices (proctoscopes, rectoscopes incl. ligature set) with them. Many thanks to the donors! From 11.9.-13.9., 15 endoscopies were performed. They also gave presentations at the 29th World Congress of Echinococci.
The Gastroenterology Foundation is paying the first installment of the unfortunately very expensive specialist training for a budding gastroenterologist from Mwanza on Lake Victoria.
The Gastroenterology Foundation e.V. has launched several cooperation projects with various hospitals in Tanzania, such as the Endoscopy and Oncology Training Center in the capital Dar es Salaam, which was founded in 2014.
The aim of the training to become a specialist in gastroenterology is to provide financial support for the 3-year MSc Medical Gastroenterology and Hepatology course.
The tuition and administration fees in these Master's programs at Tanzanian universities for the 3-year training amount to up to EUR 24,000 as part of the postgraduate program at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science School of Medicine (MUHAS).
This amount is not affordable for most young doctors after completing their medical studies.
The structural analysis of the current situation of gastroenterology training in Tanzania comes to the conclusion that the transition to the Master's program in Medical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is the biggest bottleneck in the careers of many highly motivated and well-trained young doctors.
Do you want to support us? Please contact geier_a2@ukw.de.
The construction work for the endoscopy department in Peramiho is in full swing, the excavation of the soil is largely completed.
Establishment of a professional society for endoscopy assistance in Nepal: Nepalese Endoscopy Technician Society
About 5 years ago, the idea arose to found a separate professional society for endoscopy assistants in Nepal. Here, too, the nurses in endoscopy have a high level of responsibility, special training and a lot of experience in areas that are of considerable importance, such as assistance in difficult therapeutic procedures, for example in ERCP, device reprocessing, sedation, hygiene. There are no national standards in Nepal for the implementation of these tasks or for training. In order to create a supra-regional qualification, to recognise this specialisation as well as to enable further training and networking, a professional society is indispensable. The nurses of the ETC in Dhulikhel, Nepal were willing to go down this path and create an organization for the whole of Nepal. This process, with the fulfilment of all the legal requirements, the motivation of colleagues from other clinics and the creation of the structures, has now led to success after a few years and with the use of a lot of strength and patience. The Nepalese Endoscopy Technician Society was officially recognized in March 2023 and opened at Dhulikhel Hospital during a ceremony and workshop. The president of the society is Samirabhupal Baynju, the senior endoscopy nurse of the gastrointestinal endoscopy department at Dhulikhel Hospital. The German and European groups, DEGEA and ESGENA, have sent greetings and generous offers of support and cooperation for this special step. The Gastroenterology Foundation also continues to support this group generously. For the future, we would like to see more cooperation with German endoscopy assistants under the umbrella of the Gastrofoundation and cordially invite all colleagues to organize themselves here and actively support the progress in Nepal!
Starting our support for the construction of an endoscopy department. Below you can see the plan.?Initial training support for female doctors. Initial creation of requirements for personnel, equipment and accessories.
On March 9, 2023, the television station ATV interviewed Prof. Dr. Matthias Breidert, board member of the Gastrofoundation (GF) . Matthias Breidert reported on the activities of the GF since 2019, the problems of the health system in Kosovo from his point of view, the importance of gastroenterology for diagnostics and treatment and pointed out the good and trustful cooperation whith the University of Pristina. In the interview, Misrad Dervishi, a former patient of Matthias Breidert, is also interviewed. ?He comes from North Macedonia, but has strong family ties to Kosovo and knows the conditions there very well. He has always unselfishly accompanied the development of endoscopy by Matthias Breidert.?The video is supplemented by recordings of the workshop on the following day, in particular presentation of the practical exercises on the pig model. ?After the interview, the Head of Gastroenterology from Pristina (Dr. Komoni) will visit the Director (CEO) of the Internal MediGovering Board of SHSKUK. She has only been in office for 1 month, but wants to promote cooperation with the GF. Needs of equipment as well as strategic orientation were discussed. On March 10th, a shortened workshop took place, as the three colleagues and members of the GF Markus Dollhopf, Bruno Neu and Marc Dauer could not arrive due to the cancellation of their flights. The workshop will start with two presentations by Matthias Breidert (foreign body removal, detection of polyps and management of complications). Subsequently, 6 patients are endoscoped live, partly by Dr. Abri Veliu (Head of Endoscopy Pristina), partly by Matthias Breidert, who provides assistance in complex cases. Cases from colonoscopy (large pedunculated polyp (endoloop), polyposis syndrome ) are clarified. The examinations will be broadcast live to the auditorium (Telemedicine Center) and from there to the 5 clinics in the country. Furthermore, two cases with stenosis in the oesophagus are discussed and bougated. In addition, material is provided for further care (bougies, slings, clips, etc.) After a short break, the workshop took place from 13-16.00 with practical exercises on the pig model. ?The workshop was attended by 30 colleagues.?vAfterwards, there was a joint dinner of all participants, including nurses and young residents. The next workshop is scheduled to take place in early October 2023.
