Dr. Abdulrahman to YT: “The Yemeni cadre has to follow up all new developments in medicine” [Archives:2001/05/Interview]

Abdulrahman Ali Ahmad al-Shamiri, was born in 1964 in Sahban, Bani Saif, Taiz. He completed his secondary studies in Hodeidah and then carried out his compulsory military service. After this,he was granted a scholarship to study medicine in Germany. He finished his study in 1989 and worked for a year in Basedow hospital. Then, he came back to Yemen at the end of 1990. He served in al-Ghaidah city and then came back to Sana’a to work in the 26 September Hospital in Bani Matar for three months. Then, he worked in al-Thawrah Hospital Neuro department at the beginning of 1992. In 1994 he left for Austria to complete his higher studies. He worked in the university hospital of Vienna until May 1998. Then he moved with his professor Richling to the Christian Doppler Clinic in Salzburg. Mr. Abulrahman also participated in many conferences and training workshops abroad. Mr. Saif al-Sahbani met with him and filed the following interview:
Q: What was your dissertation on?
A: In the beginning of 2000, I finished my dissertation which was on neurosurgery. The dissertation title was the treatment of vascular diseases including vascular mal-formation, aneurysm and many other diseases. Professor Richling was the one supervising my dissertation in Vienna University, Austria.
Q: What are the conferences and research that you worked on?
A: During my stay in Vienna university, I attended many training courses including Microsurgical Training. From 1996-1998, I worked on practical research on vascular neurosurgery. My research was then published in international medical magazines in Germany and the USA. In February 2000, I participated in a conference and training workshop held in Belgium on Neuro intensive care. I also participated in the training workshop held in Britain’s Cambridge University on Neuro Monitoring.
Q: Why do not you come back to Yemen?
A: Neurosurgery is one of the most complex and high fields that requires a lot of expensive resources. Our country with its poor resources lacks such equipment and tools for many reasons including economic reasons. I hope the government will set up fully equipped hospitals. I also hope the government will give the private sector a chance to work in this field.
I feel that the Yemeni cadre has to follow up all new developments in medicine in terms of attending training workshops, seminars and courses abroad. However, this may cost them a lot sometimes. I am sure that the Yemeni cadre, if given the chance, can do a lot. However, it is a matter of resources as I said before. I will come to the country when I find that the resources for my specialization are available in the country so as to apply what I have learnt.
O: How do you assess the health situation in Yemen?
A: The health situation in all the countries of the world, rich and poor, is a heavy burden that needs a lot of funding. It is a big problem for many countries as this institution is a consuming institution in the first place. Health has become very costly not because of the high cost of the workforce but mainly because of the high cost of materials used in examining and the machines and above all the treatment.
Our health problem, shared with many other developing countries is that the government is not able to cover the expenses, besides the low standard of individual income making people unable to afford the expenses of treatment. Moreover, the expenses of training doctors are also very high. However, I believe that the countries of the third world are able to cure all these problems if they have the will to do that.
Q: How do you view the private hospitals in Yemen?
A: Private hospitals are a good initiative, when established within a framework of regulations and agreed upon conditions, particularly those relating to the government monitoring their performance in a strict and precise way. People’s lives are not to play with or to conduct experiments on and are not to trade with. The policy of reward and punishment is to be applied on both the owners of hospitals and on Health Ministry employees monitoring these hospitals.
Q: Any last word?
A: First I extend my best regards for all those who work for the welfare of our society either inside or outside. I also keep my fingers crossed so as to see our country develop in all fields, especially in the health field.
 


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