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WELCOME
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Training Africa’s
Next Surgeons
R A N D I L C L A R K , M . D . , T E A C H E S
S U R G I C A L P R O C E D U R E S I N E T H I O P I A
By Andrea Nagel
In 2005
Soddo Christian Hospital
opened its doors in Wolaitta,
Ethiopia. The mission for the
hospital was to be a training center
for medical workers across Africa.
Today it is one of only nine surgical
resident training sites in Africa
for the Pan African Academy of
Christian Surgeons.
The program’s five-year residen-
cies are modeled after Western
medicine and staffed by volunteer
physicians and surgeons from the
U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia
and Korea. Each year, many other
physicians travel to Wolaitta to
help develop
the program
and provide
some specialty
rotations to the
resident doc-
tors’ education.
“I’ve been
able to go to
Ethiopia twice to teach residents a
few urological procedures,” Randil
Clark, M.D., North Idaho Urology,
said. “They actually see a lot of
patients with bladder and kidney
stones, as well as urethral disease
and damage.”
Dr. Clark explained that the road
conditions and safety in Ethiopia
are a hazard for locals. There are
many accidents that cause pelvic
breaks and fractures which, in turn,
can cause damage to the bladder
and urethra. Dr. Clark and his team
are able to teach some basic endo-
scopic techniques as well as more
complex open surgical repairs.
“Before I went over to teach,
I visited the University of Wash-
ington in Seattle,” Dr. Clark said.
“While there I brushed up on
my skill set so I was prepared to
teach the residents and general
surgeons.”
There are several procedures that
urologists are able to perform in
the U.S. that just aren’t possible in
Ethiopia for cost and technological
reasons. Procedures such as remov-
ing a kidney stone have to be done
using old techniques. What is a
minimally invasive laser treatment
here requires an open surgery pro-
cedure for the residents at Soddo.
Each time Dr. Clark visits the
residents, he stays for 3½ weeks.
During his last visit, he was able to
work with the residents on 35 cases,
including urethral reconstruction,
prostate cancer, bladder and kidney
stones, pelvic masses, and trauma.
“The thing I like about working
with the residents is that I know
the skills and knowledge keep
going after I leave,” Dr. Clark said.
“Teaching them to do the proce-
dures carries a long-term effect
that will end up helping more
people in the long run.”
F I N D M O R E
I N S P I R I N G
stories
online. Visit the Soddo
Christian Hospital at
soddo.org
.
Randil Clark, M.D.
B YOND KOOTENAI HEALTH