First Yemeni-Italian Medical Meeting, Successful [Archives:2000/23/Health]

Report by: Ismael Al-Ghaberi
Under the patronage of Professor Abdul Wali Nasher, Minister of Health, the First Yemeni Italian Meeting took place on May 31-June, 2000.
The meeting coincided with the end of the Fourth Italian Mission to Yemen which commenced two years ago. During the mission, the Italian team did 11 successful operations in Al-Thawrah hospital.
In the opening ceremony, the Minister of Heath emphasized importance of the Yemeni-Italian collaboration. He also highlighted the measures the Ministry has taken to improve the health sector.
Other speakers included Abbas Zabarah, chairman of the meeting, Dr. Mohammed Bamoshmoosh, the meeting general secretary, Abdullah Al-Kuleidi, president of the Yemeni Medical and Pharmacist Syndicate, Abdullah Al-Sunaidar, president of YIFS and H.E. Umkesto Lucchesi Pall, Ambassador of Italy to Yemen.
On this occasion, an agreement was reached between the Research center and the Al-Thawrah Hospital to further their cooperation in the medical domain. According to the agreement Italian medical teams will be able to visit Yemen to conduct training courses from time to another.
HE. Ambassador of Italy to Yemen said that one of the aims of the meeting was a continuation of the Italian past. He said thin that field. “I am very proud that we have been able to meet once again here in Sana’a,” he added.
HE. Ambassador of Italy spoke highly about the Yemeni-Italian relationship, describing it as intensive. “We have interest not only to be a good friend of this country, but contribute to its development in the social and economic fields,” he said.
Chairman of the meeting, Dr. Abbas Zabarah said that the meeting aimed at exchanging experiences as well as learning from the Italian advanced experience in ENT, Cardiology and general surgery and other medical domains. “The second objective is to straighten the cooperation between Yemen and Italy,” he added.
Dr. Zabbarah stressed the importance of training people on how to take care of themselves. He criticized the role played by media and mosques in their effort for spreading awareness of Primary health care among the public, emphasizing that such institutions should play the most vital role in this regard.
On the idea of the meeting itself, Dr. Anees Al-Jabri, Member of the organizing committee said that it was Al-Thawrah hospital and Dr. Mohammed Bamoshmoosh’s, a Yemeni cardiologist in Italy. “The idea was to meet and discuss what the Italian team has done in Yemen. The team arrived at Al-Thawrah Hospital in the mid of May. It has performed eleven complicated operations successfully, which are not usually done in Yemen,” he added.
“This is the fourth time we come to Yemen in an official visit with the National Research Council of Italy. But it is the second time that we perform surgery and cardiac evaluation before cardiac surgery,” said Dr. Mohammed Bamoshmoosh, Secretary general of the meeting.
“I asked my Yemeni colleagues to organize this meeting when I visited Yemen last time. Hopefully, the meeting was a success and we were able to benefit. Doctors must keep abreast of every new in the medical field after their graduation. I think that there is nothing better than a congress, like this, to hear from experienced doctors about what is new in the different fields of medicine,” added Dr. Bamoshmoosh.
The representative of the Italian National Research council, professor Fransco Santoli, who is visiting Yemen for the first time successfully operated on a patient suffering from congenital heart disease. The National Research Council was founded in 1978 to promote integration between medical, biological, engineering, physical, chemical and computer sciences.
“I think that Yemeni medical doctors need only experience because the level of instruction and knowledge is quite similar.
Together we can improve cardiac surgery but we need the collaboration of Yemeni Doctors. To this effect I signed today an agreement of understanding with HE. the Minister of Health to familiarize and intensify this collaboration.” he said.
About the nature of this collaboration Santoli said that the main areas of interest were medical research, clinical assistance and teaching activities. “We are used to going out of Italy to learn, teach and to organize cardiac surgery. We have been to Sarayvo, Jordan, Gabon and Cairo.
The memo I signed today is not an easy target to reach because the realization of a modern department of cardiac surgery is not that easy. We need the structure, equipment and a very good team. However, if we all work in the same direction we can reach this result,” he added.
In response to a question about the diffusion of disease in Yemen, Dr. Sofia Redaclli of the Italian team said: “In pediatric diagnosis and treatment the most important thing is to recognize the pathology, once discovered and correctly diagnosed treatment can be offered. You do not need only a good eco-machine which is important but also experience. This experience is important to give indication for treatment by invasive cardiology or surgery.”
Dr. Ali Al-Mudwahi, member of the organizing committee felt optimistic about the quality of Yemeni doctors’ performance. “In Yemen the main problems are cancers, kidney and heart problems. We try to improve the performance of Yemeni doctors in these fields. We are optimistic that the performance of Yemeni doctors will be developed and operations will be done entirely by Yemeni doctors,” he said.
In a question on the Yemeni doctors’ ability to do open heart surgery alone he said that the crux of the problem did no lay in the physicians themselves because the human inputs were available. However, he referred to lack of experience and practice. “We believe that the signing of the memo of understanding between Yemen and Italy will help Yemeni doctors get this experience necessary to perform surgery,” he concluded.

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