Myungsung Christian Medical Center and Myungsung Medical CollegeAddis Ababa, Ethiopia

Hospital Website
www.mcmet.org
www.mmc-edu.net
Mission
Myungsung Presbyterian Church, Korea
Minimum Service Requirement
  • Two-month minimum: neonatology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and pediatrics.
  • Three-month minimum: colorectal surgery, family medicine, nephrology, oncology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, pulmonology, and rheumatology.
  • Six-month minimum: dentistry and general surgery.
  • Profile
    Myungsung Christian Medical Center is located in the southeastern part of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. The MCMC compound consists of two wings: Shalom Wing with 161 beds; 40 surgical, 25 medical, 20 pediatrics, seven OB/GYN, 10 ER and 11 intensive care, and Grace Wing with 67 beds, as well as a separate Medical College with a six-year curriculum including internship. MCMC offers ophthalmologic, dental, plastic surgery, ENT, psychiatry, and hemodialysis services as part of community health programs, in addition to general medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics & gynecology. Long-term expatriate staff includes one American Family Medicine Doctor, four Korean-American physicians (general surgeon, anesthesiology, radiology, and pathology), one Norwegian plastic surgeon, and one Korean dentist. There are approximately 45 Ethiopian GPs and specialists on staff.
    Travel/Orientation
    Fly by commercial air to the city of Addis Ababa. It is a short drive on paved roads to the hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, volunteers are briefed by one of the physicians they will be working with. A short tour of the hospital is given by one of the hospital administrators or a physician. Further orientation is provided by a chaplain and interaction with expatriate and national staff.
    Climate
    Sunny every day and, outside of the rainy seasons, all day. Temperatures range from 55°–85° during the dry season and from 45°–75° during the rainy season. June through September is the rainy season. January through May and October through December are the dry months. Humidity varies from 40% to 80%. Elevation is 8,000 feet.
    Language
    Amharic is the official language. Also spoken are Somali and Arabic and many others. There are 86 languages spoken in Ethiopia. Teaching is done in English and nearly all the hospital staff speak English. Most of the +40 Korean volunteers have limited English capabilities, but are eager to learn and all are gracious and humble to all.
    Common Diseases/Trauma
    • Infectious diseases
    • Trauma
    • Chronic Respiratory illness and cardiovascular diseases
    • Acute abdomen and other surgical emergencies
    • Labor and gynecological emergencies

    About 4% of potential blood donors are positive for HIV. The most common “reportable” disease is TB. There is a high rate of trauma from automobile accidents and construction site accidents.

    Charting
    English. Translators are available for patient care in English. There is an iView program to view all X-rays from a computer monitor along with electronic order entry system.
    Lab Tests
    Most basic lab tests comparable to the U.S. are available, as well as a microbiology laboratory. An automated chemistry machine offers many test panels.
    Medicine
    Cases reflect more Western diseases such as strokes, pneumonia, diabetes, cirrhosis, tuberculosis and HIV. The prevalence of HIV is greater than 2% in Addis. There is no malaria in Addis Ababa, but occasionally it is seen in patients from rural areas or among refugees from Somali. Anesthesia: Draw over equipment is used rather than plenum equipment. Types of anesthesia include spinal, Ketamine and GA w/ LMA or intubation/paralysis as needed. Halothane and Isoflurene are used for inhalation agent. Nurse Anesthetist gives anesthesia with three anesthesiologists on staff. No epidural available due to the high cost in importing catheters.
    Obstetrics
    There are about 1,000 deliveries each year. The C-section rate is high with many high-risk deliveries and obstetrical complications referred from outlying health centers. Midwives and students manage the vaginal deliveries. An obstetrician is on duty, on-site 24 hours a day as is a pediatrician.
    Ophthalmology
    Slit lamp, autorefractory keratometer, operating microscope, and phacoemulcifier are available. Visiting short term ophthalmologists’ primary role would be teaching new techniques to the full-time Ethiopian ophthalmologist. Two tenured ophthalmologists from the U.S. joined part-time. Plan to develop ophthalmology fellowship.
    Pathology
    There is a state-of-the-art pathology laboratory.
    Pediatrics
    Pediatric sub-specialties and neonatologist for our NICU are needed to teach two Ethiopian pediatricians and NICU nurses.
    Radiology
    Radiology services are busy, with over 18,000 X-rays and 8,000 ultrasounds done annually. There is a fixed X-ray machine and two ultrasound machines in addition to ones in ER and OB OPD. Echocardiography is available. CT scanner with high resolution angiogram is the best one in Ethiopia. Mammography and basic interventional radiology are available. There are three local radiologists on staff with a long-term Korean-American.
    Surgery

    There are five operating tables in five rooms including an ophthalmological suite. The hospital performs over 3,000 major operations and 5,500 minor operations per year. There is fluoroscopy capability. MCMC offers laparoscopic surgery. Fine needle aspirations are done. There is a portable X-ray in the operating rooms. Surgeries are performed daily and CRNAs provide anesthesia. Surgical services span a broad spectrum of surgical diseases including pediatric, adult, obstetric/ gynecologic, ENT, and orthopedics.

    Myungsung Christian Medical Center is a Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons or PAACS program participant www.paacs.net. PAACS has established surgical training programs at Christian hospitals across Africa. PAACS residents rotate working under the surgical sub-specialists. Short-term volunteers in both general surgery and sub-specialties including anesthesia and radiology should understand that teaching rather than clinical work is their primary goal. The curriculum is similar to the United States with both formal lecturing and hands-on clinical teaching. Volunteers should be in direct contact with hospital field staff prior to arrival to prepare for their teaching role.

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