GASTROENTEROLOGY FOUNDATION e.V.
Better medicine for the world's poorest.
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.
It's time to say a big "thank you"!
At the end of February 2023, the Endoscopic Training Center (ETC) at Dhulikhel Hospital received a new Olympus 190 series endoscopy system with a CV-190 video processor, a CLV-190 xenon light source and a OEV262H - 26" HD monitor from the Gastroenterology Foundation e.V. Munich. To go with this, the ETC also received a GIF-H185 video gastroscope. This means that the Endoscopic Training Center, which is the reference center for interventional endoscopy in Nepal, has an endoscopy system with a better and more lifelike endoscopic image and significantly improved resolution than before. Now the foundation for even better and more efficient diagnostics has been laid. This endoscopy system also paves the way for a step-by-step further modernization of the endoscopes with Olympus 190 series devices. The average age of the endoscopes in use so far is about 17 years. The whole project took almost exactly one year from the decision in February 2022 to its realization. A good 130 days passed just waiting for the import permit from the Nepalese authorities. From the first cost estimate to the arrival of the pictures of the construction of the plant in Dhulikhel, almost 170 emails were exchanged between the parties involved. The costs for the system and the endoscope amounted to approx. 18,500 €. In addition, there are about 850 € for transport and insurance. In total, more than €19,300 was spent. First and foremost, a big thank you goes to our donors and members who made this campaign possible! The purchase of the equipment was only possible thanks to the generous support of Olympus Germany, in particular Dr. Harald Dremel, Mr. Peter Wöhrle and Mr. Peter Müller.?We would like to thank Mrs. Isabella Aigner and Mr. Robert Gassner from the forwarding company Emons Air & Sea GmbH for the transport and the almost infinite patience with us.?Another thank you is for Dr. Claus Kiehling for taking the 185 gastroscope with him to Nepal.
The technicians of Dhulikhel Hospital unpacking the items
Fixing the new monitor
The full new system
Sumitra unpacking the new gastroscope.
News from Pristina! Drite Rushiti, who actively supports our project from Switzerland, visited the department and was able to see for herself the progress of the planning. The Erbotom donated by the GF last year had not been working successfully, we have supplied additional material and it is now ready for use. The loungers are also used. Ms. Kimori shows the accessory material. We are now planning on-site workshops.
After two visits by Matthias Breidert, the cooperation agreement is signed. In addition to material support, the team is to be trained primarily in hands-on training.
The fall workshop at Dhulikhel Hospital took place from November 3-5 and went very well. Wolfgang Scharnke organized and conducted the workshop together with Wolfgang Blank and his wife Ursula on site, supported by lecturing colleagues in Germany. The ultrasound course was attended by 15 people, a good mix of beginners and users. The great interest of the young people in both the lectures and the practical exercises was striking. For the latter, Prof. Gurung had organized male models who willingly allowed themselves to be examined by the course participants. In addition to the models, Wolfgang Blank's gelatine kitchen once again provided the puncture models with a mix of olives, beef and balloons.
On the second day, which was attended by 25 participants, the well-known demonstrations of therapeutic tools in endoscopy took place in the morning.After the ERCP demonstrations, it became practical.The team of nurses shone with their perfect preparation of the two pig stomachs and the models that the Wolfgangs had purchased from Prof. Grund, Tübingen, and donated to the ETC.We were supported on this day by Michael Guggenberger, who came to Dhulikhel from the Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital in Banepa.
Olympus Singapore contributed to the workshop on the second day and demonstrated the new "1500" series system. Unfortunately, ERBE had to cancel its participation as Ganesh Lim was no longer available due to the relatively short-notice rescheduling of the workshop.
The event was rounded off by the State of the Art Lectures by Matthias Breidert from Zurich and Rudolph Riepl via Zoom.The transmission took place in the Morning Conference room and was technically perfect. In the run-up to the conference, the time until the participants arrived was bridged by Nepalese pictures and music.
The third day took place in the lecture hall. Most of the well-known gastroenterologists from Nepal were present.After the lectures (Endotalk), the 5 posters and the 4 submitted pictures were awarded.
Only the "Rapid fire answers to surgical/interventional endoscopic problems (max. 8 slides, 8 min speech)" was used for presentations, contrary to the intention. The only thing that will help here in future is to rigorously switch off the projector after 8 slides.
Overall, the atmosphere was very good and there was an intensive exchange with the very interested colleagues, also during the breaks.
Not to forget a big thank you from the nurses to the Nepal group of the GF for the congratulations!
The routine endoscopy at St. Benedict's Hospital Ndanda is thriving, I am standing next to Dr. Patrick Zengo, who performs about 10 gastroscopies and 1-2 colonoscopies per day. One problem is the planning and implementation of (urgently needed) ERCPs, as there is only a fluoroscopy system in the operating room and all the necessary material has to be brought there with great effort. Otherwise, the hospital is very well equipped - there is an X-ray system and even a CT scan. In the afternoon, we continue with hands-on teaching at sonography. There is a great need for further training here - the huge potential of sonography can still be exploited far too little by our colleagues. However, the equipment in sonography would also have to be upgraded.
After a long break due to the pandemic, another face-to-face workshop was held at Dhulikhel Hospital in Nepal on 30.3. and 1.4.22. In addition to the presentations, the participants were given plenty of time to practise the principles described themselves. The Gastrofoundation was represented by Dr. Dirk Hagena, Dr. Wolfgang Blank and Dr. Volker Stagge. The first day was dedicated to ultrasound, and the young doctors were able to practise punctures and drainages on specially made models in addition to basic examinations. The second day focused on endoscopy. After the theoretical part, demo examinations took place and the colleagues were able to carry out simple exercises with the endoscopes themselves using various models. The Nepalese endoscopy nurses had again prepared the individual stations perfectly, including prepared pig stomachs and the models. At the same time, the lecturers from Nepal and Germany were of course always available to answer questions and provide suggestions. Ultimately, this 5th hands-on workshop for beginners was once again a great success, demonstrating the department's function as an endoscopic training center for Nepal.
With the great support of the Rotary Club of Oerlikon, we were able to send two examination tables to Pristina. They have arrived and are being used enthusiastically!
Our board member Matthias Breidert visited the newly built endoscopy department in Pristina and informed himself about the progress of the expansion on site. He also led a telemedicine workshop attended by 120 participants from clinics in Kosovo. ?A few months ago, Dr. Fitore Kimoni was appointed as the new director of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.? Further support was agreed, including in the form of regular hands-on training courses on site, in order to stabilise the number of examinations.
Corona has us under control!
That's why we are moving our traditional fall workshop to the virtual space!
On November 18 and 19, the virtual endoscopy workshop will take place in cooperation with Dhulikhel Hospital.
We expect 300 participants.
Today we hosted a test session with speakers and industry supporters.
So good to see everyone! We are looking forward to tomorrow. The exchange is valuable and important.
A long-standing member of the Nepal group of the Gastroenterology Foundation and an endoscope repair company have donated two gastroscopes for gastroscopies to the ETC. They are already in use! Thank you very much for this generous donation.
Zatti Dervishi, a great supporter of the Gastroenterology Foundation, together with the Kosovar international Mavraij, has brought a very well-preserved Erbotom to Pristina. A big thank you to the donors and our carriers! This project would not be possible without the selfless help of our supporters. We are very grateful for that.
The endoscope towers and endo-washers have arrived safely in Pristina. We would like to thank the companies Olympus and Treier Endoscopie and our donors who made the transport possible.
After weeks of waiting for clearance from Nepalese customs, our large aid shipment with accessories, repaired endoscopes and protective material has finally arrived at the ETC. We have just received the first photo showing our colleagues unpacking.
A big thank you to all donors!
Today, 620,000 CPA masks from Zettl, 50,000 surgical face masks from STRAMA and several boxes of protective material from Straubing Hospital were loaded into two containers and set off on their long journey to Nepal. The loading operation was thankfully carried out by Kühne+Nagel with a team of volunteers.
Many thanks to the donors and to Prof. Weigert and his team for their great coordination!
After months of waiting, a large delivery has finally reached the ETC in Dhulikhel. Our colleagues were able to unpack three repaired endoscopes, the new X-ray machine for the new ERCP room and coronavirus protective clothing. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all donors, especially the Merck Family Foundation and the Rotary Club Oerlikon.
We are very pleased to be able to start the new project cooperation with the Gastroenterology Department in Peramiho, Tanzania. The well-established Benedictine Mission Hospital will expand endoscopy.
