Earlier this month, specialist physicians from Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) traveled to Ethiopia to train local medical teams in advanced head and neck surgery, strengthening a growing international partnership and expanding access to life-changing care.
Three years ago, during a visit to Rambam, representatives of St. Peter’s Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, signed a cooperation agreement under which Rambam specialists would travel to St. Peter’s to train local medical teams in performing complex head and neck surgeries and advanced anesthesiology techniques, including ultrasound-guided airway management and hybrid intubation.
Recently, a delegation of Rambam specialists traveled to St. Peter’s Specialized Hospital to train a six-member local medical team in complex head and neck surgical procedures. Dr. Ahmed Taha, a senior physician in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology –Head and Neck Surgery, led the delegation. Joining him were Dr. Demitri Ostrovsky, Head of Rambam’s Rhinology and Sinus Service, Director of Ambulatory Care in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, and Head of Orbital and Sinus Surgery at the Head and Neck Disease Center; Dr. Vacile Recea, Deputy Director of Rambam’s Department of Anesthesiology and Recovery Room; Dr. Dan Shamir, resident physician in the Department of Anesthesiology; and Dr. Roee Noy, a resident in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
The first such visit took place in 2023 and was led by Dr. Yotam Shkedy, Director of Rambam’s Head and Neck Surgery Unit. The success of that visit laid the groundwork for the partnership. This year’s visit marks the second Rambam delegation to visit there.
In preparation for the week-long training, the Rambam and St. Peter’s teams developed a structured work plan, including a list of approximately 20 patients suffering from breathing difficulties, nasal obstruction, and other head and neck conditions. These patients would be examined and, where appropriate, would undergo a variety of surgeries, including turbinectomies (partial or complete removal of the nasal turbinates), septoplasties (correction of a deviated septum), and thyroidectomies (partial or complete removal of the thyroid gland).
The surgical team led by Dr. Ahmed Taha during a surgical procedure at St. Peter’s Specialized Hospital.
Photography: Rambam HCC
The training began with meetings with the hospital staff and management, as well as Rambam–St. Peter’s team meetings. They conducted preoperative assessments in the outpatient clinics, including surgical evaluations and assessments by Rambam’s anesthesia team, and jointly planned treatment strategies and surgical interventions. After the surgeries, both teams visited hospitalized patients for further evaluation and clinical decision-making.
Through collaborations like this, Rambam is turning expertise into lasting impact—training local teams, strengthening clinical systems, and helping ensure that complex head and neck care becomes more available where it is needed most.
