Knowledge Sharing

Dr. Faya Yaradouno, a general surgical resident at a hospital in rural Gabon, has completed his surgical rotation onboard the Africa Mercy. Mercy Ships surgeons mentored him in general and maxillo-facial surgery, and Dr. Yaradouno called the experience “very beneficial.”

“I learned so much from the experienced surgeons,” Dr. Yaradouno said. “They have taught me very good skills.”

Dr. Yaradouno is a resident in the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS), a rural-based educational programme using African mission hospitals to train national physicians.

“It’s been fascinating,” said Dr. Bruce Steffes, CEO of PAACS and volunteer surgeon with Mercy Ships. “From a medical standpoint, my hope was Dr. Yaradouno would gain understanding of modern operating rooms and how they work.”
 
“When he came here, his operating time for a hernia was about an hour, and now he is down to 15 minutes. He does it beautifully at this point and is as good as 99% of people working on the Mercy Ship that would do this procedure.”

Dr. Yaradouno performed 250 operations in his 11-week training onboard the Mercy Ship. Dr. Steffes says it was an opportunity “to work fast, and to work well.”

“It has helped my confidence because with a surgical skill, the more you do it, the easier it becomes,” Dr. Yaradouno said. He found the international teamwork to be helpful. “You are with people coming from all over the world so you can see different techniques.”

Dr. Yaradouno gained skill and expertise with hernias, as well as removing large, fatty tumours called lipomas. He also assisted Dr. Gary Parker with removing facial tumours and repairing cleft-lips and palates.

Dr. Yaradouno will return to Bongolo Hospital in southwest Gabon, which is in a rural area that covers one-third of the country – with a population of 200,000 people.

Twenty percent of patients make the twelve-hour drive from the capital city of Libreville because they know the care is much better at Bongolo Hospital. Dr. Yaradouno’s new skills will only add to that quality of care.