An Ethiopian Training Program in Neurosurgery with Norwegian Support

After a 4-year planning period, a joint Ethiopian/Norwegian training program in neurosurgery was started in June 2006. The collaborating partners were Addis Ababa University; Department of Surgery, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital; University of Bergen; Haukeland University Hospital; and Myungsung Christian Medical Center, a Korean missionary hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A memorandum of understanding was signed at dean/chief executive officer levels. Although other initiatives have been involved in supporting neurosurgery in Addis Ababa during the same period, this institutionally founded program has been the main external contributor to neurosurgical capacity building through the education of 21 Ethiopian neurosurgeons, and in supporting a sustainable environment for neurosurgical training within a network of 5 centers in Addis Ababa. This article gives an account of the strategies underlying the program planning, the history of the program, and on the experience gained by it. Finally, ethical problems and challenges encountered in the program are discussed.