Namibia for the first time to produce its own specialist Anaesthetists

Life-saving medical care in Namibia will be transformed by a new postgraduate course, which in turn will lead to a dramatic increase in the number of state anaesthetists. The first six students have just started the University of Namibia’s new Masters in Anaesthesia, supported by the highly successful Phoenix Project partnership with Cardiff University in Wales, UK. They will be the first specialist anaesthetists trained in the country.

The training will help address an acute shortage of anaesthetists which leaves patients facing long waiting lists for surgery and a lack of specialist care during emergency operations. The students will transform the number of dedicated anaesthetists’ available, building self-sufficiency for the training of specialist anaesthetists in Namibia and improving the quality of patient care.

Professor Frednard Gideon, Pro- Vice Chancellor: Academic Affairs at UNAM, said: “The start of the training of the anaesthetists is a huge relieve to the health care and pain management delivery in public hospitals in Namibia.” Phoenix Project leader, Professor Judith Hall, of Cardiff University, who herself is a consultant anaesthetist, came up with the idea for the new anaesthesia course and worked with partners at UNAM to develop it. She said: “Surgery can save lives but you can’t have surgery without anaesthesia, and Namibia has so few state anaesthetists. This Masters course will create a new body of professional anaesthetics doctors in Namibia in sufficient numbers to truly transform care.”

Source : http://www.unam.edu.na