General surgery in a district hospital in Tajikistan: clinical impact of a partnership between visiting volunteers and host specialists.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and 5 years of civil war, health care services in Tajikistan are in disarray. Nongovernmental organizations are playing a key role in recovery programs. A group of volunteer physicians from the West went to Khorog General Hospital in the Pamiri mountains to establish a dialogue with their physician counterparts, recommend evidence-based best practice appropriate for local conditions, and reintroduce a culture of continuing medical education. The arrangements included a group visit to Khorog for 3 weeks annually over 3 years. In this article we describe the experiences of the 2 general surgeons attached to the group in the second year and the status of the partnership 1 year later.
Kassum
Diamond A
DA
Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. dkassum@sbgh.mb.ca
Valji
Azim
A
Gulyazov
Shodi
S
D002170:Canada; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D013502:General Surgery / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006767:Hospitals, District / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008493:Medical Missions; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000592:standards*; D013620:Tajikistan