Employee reports from Jimma

I have been working as a doctor in Jimma, Ethiopia, since the beginning of January 2020 and 6 weeks of my 3-month assignment have already passed and I have gained many wonderful experiences.

The African continent was not new territory for me at the beginning of my trip, but the country of Ethiopia was, which I had only known from hearsay as a beautiful country with some economic challenges. I set off without any preconceptions and was open to new things.

As is so often the case, Africa proves to be a continent of extremes in Ethiopia. It demands a lot from you in everyday life, but also gives you a lot in return. The people here have little and yet are warm and willing to share. The young generation, as I got to know them in the form of the highly motivated junior doctors at the university hospital in Jimma, want to take the country forward and only a few seem to be looking to "escape" abroad. Dr Joseph, a young junior doctor, for example, is pursuing the goal of returning to his village after his training so that he can help the inhabitants of the remote region, who cannot afford to travel to the centre, as a trained trauma surgeon.

The people are very connected to their history and their country and are proud of what they have already achieved. I consider it a privilege to be able to accompany the young assistants on this journey. Working in the most basic conditions with limited resources is a daily challenge, but it also helps me to develop professionally. You have to approach operations differently. In Ethiopia, it's not about complaining about problems, of which there are plenty. It is much more important to find solutions. This applies to everyday life here as well as to the daily work in the hospital.

But it's a lot of fun. And in the end, both sides learn from each other. I'm now looking forward to the second half of my stay and I'm already hoping to come back one day.

In October 2019, I started my 3-month assignment as a Reversed Fellow for the Swiss "Gostar" project in Jimma, Ethiopia. I was welcomed on site by my colleague Dr Falk Nessenius. After a week's introduction to the local conditions and handover at the hospital, Dr Falk returned to Switzerland.

I work as a senior consultant in general and trauma surgery at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital. After my studies in Germany, I completed my surgical training in Switzerland, primarily at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital under the direction of Prof Metzger and Prof Babst.

As part of a humanitarian mission with the "Swiss Surgical Team", I worked in Nigeria in 2013. Since then, I have wanted to work again with an aid organisation to provide medical support to people in poorer regions. In recent years, the Gostar project has worked together with colleagues from the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, among others. Due to the positive experiences, I agreed to take part after being asked by the organisation.

I am looking forward to the exciting challenges, both medical and cultural, and hope to be able to share my knowledge with my local colleagues. The training of young colleagues at the Medical Centre of the University of Jimma and the teaching of our western standards will determine my everyday life. Traumatological treatment under minimalist working conditions will be a demanding task.